Rites mark anniversary of Korean trader’s killing

Jee Ick-joo FILE PHOTO

A short ceremony to commemorate the death anniversary of Korean Jee Ick-joo was held on Wednesday in Camp Crame.

The commemoration held at the spot inside the Philippine National Police headquarters where Jee was killed, was kept private on the request of the Korean businessman’s widow, Choi Kyung-jin.

Jee’s friends and relatives, including his wife Choi, along with some PNP officials attended the ceremony which started at around 2 p.m. and was held at a parking area just across the main building in Camp Crame.

Prayers and recollections, mostly in the Korean language, were said during the short service where candles were lit and flowers were offered.

On Tuesday, the eve of Jee’s death anniversary, PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao assured that his unit was working to catch all persons responsible for the killing.

The Korean businessman was kidnapped from his home in Angeles City, and was said to had been killed inside a car parked inside Camp Crame on Oct. 18, 2016.

His kidnappers, policemen and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation, took him in the guise of conducting an anti-illegal drugs operation but ransomed him off for P5 million before killing him.

President Rodrigo Duterte momentarily halted the war on drugs, putting a stop to the PNP’s “Oplan Tokhang” and “Project Double Barrel,” as a result of Jee’s killing.