President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during their meeting at Malacañang Palace in Manila, Oct. 7. Yoon asked Marcos Jr. to intensify efforts to bring Rafael Dumlao to justice the former police officer behind the 2016 killing of a Korean businessman, Yoon's office said Thursday. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol asked Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to intensify efforts to bring to justice Rafael Dumlao, the former police officer behind the 2016 killing of a Korean businessman, during their recent summit, Yoon's office said Thursday.

At a meeting held in Manila on Oct. 7, Yoon raised the issue and asked for his cooperation in catching Dumlao, who was the director of the Philippine National Police's (PNP) anti-illegal drug group when the killing happened eight years ago. After being convicted in July for orchestrating the kidnapping and murder of Jee Ick-joo in Angeles City, Dumlao disappeared and is currently on the run.

During their talks, Yoon expressed regret over the situation while shedding light on safety concerns for Korean visitors and residents in the Philippines, according to his office and Koreans living there.

In response, Marcos reportedly promised to step up efforts to find the fugitive and create a safe environment for Koreans in his country.

Yoon's request came after the victim's widow, Choi Kyung-jin, expressed concerns over little progress in the case at an event held the previous day for Korean residents in the Philippines.

“As both leaders have agreed on the issues, we are reviewing potential support measures for the bereaved families and others involved,” a presidential official said.

Jee and his housekeeper were abducted from his residence on Oct. 18, 2016. According to Choi, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 8 million Philippine pesos ($140,000). She reportedly gave them 5 million pesos and refused to pay the remaining sum when they did not present proof that he was alive.

Later, it was found that Jee was strangled to death inside a vehicle the day he was kidnapped, at a parking lot inside the PNP headquarters in Quezon City. The housekeeper was released the next day.

Several current and former police officers were investigated as accomplices in the case. Two were sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2023, but Dumlao was initially found not guilty. Eventually, an appellate court overturned the acquittal and sentenced him to life in prison.

According to data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 38 Korean nationals had been murdered between January 2015 and June 2024. That figure accounted for more than 44 percent of all cases occurred in the Asia-Pacific region during the period.