In 2016, the main suspect in the kidnapping and murder of the late Ji Ik-joo was apprehended. During his visit to the Philippines in March, President Lee Jae-myung instructed that overseas citizens be protected. On the 9th, President Lee remarked on social media platform X, expressing gratitude to the police, the National Intelligence Service, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Philippine authorities, for their efforts in capturing the former local policeman responsible for killing a Korean citizen in the Philippines.
The individual referred to by President Lee is Rafael Dumlao III, a former Philippine police officer implicated as the main suspect in the 2016 kidnapping and murder of Korean businessman Ji Ik-joo. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dumlao was apprehended by the Philippine police in Manila at 5:15 a.m. local time.
At the time, Dumlao was working as a team leader in the Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group. He and his accomplices are accused of kidnapping and murdering Mr. Ji, who resided in Angeles, Philippines. Dumlao was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in a second trial in 2024 but escaped before serving his sentence, leading to an ongoing pursuit.
The government has been collaborating with Philippine authorities to secure Dumlao’s detention. The Korean Embassy in the Philippines, Korean Desk, the National Intelligence Service, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have all been involved in the efforts to track and arrest him.
During President Lee’s state visit to the Philippines in March, he focused on protecting overseas Koreans as a key issue. In talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., he stressed the importance of responding to and resolving serious crimes against Koreans, and he reiterated this commitment to ensuring the safety of overseas Koreans at a meeting with the Korean community in the Philippines.
President Lee has consistently taken a firm stance on pursuing criminals abroad and those committing severe crimes against Korean citizens, pledging to apprehend them even if it means chasing them to the ends of the earth.