South Korean businessman’s death inside Camp Crame commemorated

October 18, 2017

Members of the South Korean community and police officers on Thursday marked the first anniversary of the death of  Jee Ick-Joo, a businessman killed inside the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame.

The 2 pm event was held at the PNP Directorate for Police Community Relations building where Jee was believed to have been killed by police officers belonging to the defunct Anti-Illegal Drugs Group.

The widow,  Choi Kyung-jin, clad in a black dress and fellow Koreans attended the 30-minute ceremony, which was also attended by police officers.

Policemen did not allow reporters to cover the event where people presented lighted candles and offered flowers at the place where Jee was believed to have been strangled by rouge anti-narcotics cops.

The police official who led the investigation into Jee's abduction and murder, Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) director Senior Superintendent Glenn Dumlao said "I'm morally convinced that we only got half of the real culprits.” .

“Maybe a miracle will happen and we can capture the others,” he said.

Trial at the Angeles City Regional Trial Court Branch 58 is going on for the other suspects which include Superintendent Rafael Dumlao III, Senior Police Officer 3 Ricky Sta. Isabel and SPO4 Roy Villegas.

Jee and his house helper were abducted by armed men from his residence in Pampanga. The kidnappers, who turned out to be policemen, accused Jee of being involved in illegal drugs.

Despite a payment of P5 million in ransom by Jee's widow, he was strangled to death inside Camp Crame.

His body was cremated at a funeral parlor in Caloocan City and his  ashes were flushed down a toilet.

President Rodrigo Duterte sent Presidential Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo to Seoul to express the government's apology over the incident. DMS