Jee Ick-joo, 53, was allegedly abducted in October by a group that includes a policeman.
The Korean Chamber of Commerce Philippines called on Wednesday for the speedy resolution to the kidnap-slay case of businessman Jee Ick-joo, as it highlighted the respect given by the South Korean government to thousands of migrant Filipino workers in their country.
In a statement, the chamber expressed disappointment and shock over Jee’s death.
“We strongly condemn any kind of violence and unjust treatment not only to Korean businessmen but also to [the] 120,000 Koreans residing here [in] the Philippines,” it said.
The chamber noted that it was an organization that “protects the interest and promotes the Philippines as an investment hub for Korean businessmen.”
It called on the authorities to thoroughly investigate the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In what sounded like a veiled warning, the group stressed that Filipinos living and working in South Korea are protected by their government.
“In South Korea, we strongly protect the welfare and respect almost 50,000 overseas Filipino workers; we expect and hope that the Philippine authorities’ doubled efforts to prevent this kind of incident to happen again and to assure the safety and welfare of Koreans here in the Philippines,” the statement read.
In Pampanga, leaders of the Angeles Korean Community Association (Akca) here were tight-lipped on Tuesday when they attended a dialog with city councilors.
Numbering more than 2,000, Koreans either do business in the city or work in companies based in Clark Freeport. Some are enrolled in local colleges or golf schools.
“We’ve been advised by our embassy to refrain from making statements,” Sheng Kae Lee, vice president of Akca, said to explain his group’s reservations about speaking up.
Vice Mayor Bryan Matthew Nepomuceno said that based on conversations with several Korean residents, there was a “growing concern about peace and order.”