A South Korean businessman was kidnapped and murdered by Philippines policemen, a Seoul official said on Wednesday. The businessman, who was in his 50s and only identified with his surname Ji, went missing three months ago in the Philippines.
Reports said the businessman's family reportedly sent a ransom of five million won (US$100,000) to the kidnappers just two weeks after he was seized in Angeles, near Manila.
A Seoul foreign ministry official cited the Philippine inquiry's findings and said that he the victim was already strangled to death and burned to ashes in a crematorium that was owned by one of the members of the gang, a former police officer. The official added that eight suspects, including three current Philippine policemen, were being investigated in this case.
"The Philippine police told us that several police officers had been named as suspects in the kidnapping and murder," the foreign ministry official told AFP.
There have been innumerable cases of kidnaps targeting South Korean nationals in the Philippines. Reports showed that at least 50 South Koreans have been killed in the country since 2012.
