Malacañang on Tuesday apologized to South Korea for the murder of its national who was kidnapped in the guise of an illegal drug operation that showed the “depth of corruption” within the government and the police force.
“We wish to take this occasion to express the condolences and sympathies of President Duterte and the Filipino people to Mrs. Choi Kyung-jin, widow of Mr. Jee Ick-joo, the South Korean national who met untimely death while in police custody,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a press briefing.
“We apologize to the South Korean government and people for this irreparable loss,” he said. “To the Korean people, please accept our sincerest and deepest regrets.”
Abella said that the “full force of the law” would be applied to bring speedy justice for the killing of Jee, which he said was part of the corruption problem within the government, including the police force, that the President had vowed to address.
South Korea has demanded answers in the murder of Jee, who was strangled and cremated on the day he was kidnapped reportedly by rogue police officers. The kidnappers had also demanded ransom from his wife even after his death.
Jee, a former Hanjin executive, and his maid, Marisa Morquicho, were taken from his Pampanga home in October by unidentified men. The men later released Morquicho, who told authorities that the kidnappers had claimed that the South Korean was involved in illegal drugs.
