ANTIPOLO CITY – Police are collecting footages from closed circuit televisions (CCTV) to help in the investigation of the death of a 58-year-old Korean travel agency owner whose body was found last June 16 on Taktak Road in Barangay dela Paz.
Joo Yeong-wook, also a popular writer, had been positively identified by his wife and daughter on June 19, according to Reynel Valencia, funeral director of Heaven’s Gate Memorial Services. His body was cremated the following day and flown back to his home country.
Police Col. Frias Evangelista, the Rizal Police Provincial Office director, said Joo’s body was found by a passerby, his mouth gagged and hands tied with duct tape. The head bore two gunshot wounds.
A keycard of a hotel in Makati was found in the victim’s underwear. Except for a missing mobile phone and a bag, Joo’s cash and valuables in his hotel room were intact.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Villaflor Bannawagan, the city’s police chief, confirmed the presence of Korean investigators to help the local police.
The Korea Times reported that the victim arrived on June 14 to do a market research for a new tour program. The paper said the murder of Joo has stirred safety concerns for Koreans who intend to visit the country.
Another Korean newspaper, The Korea Herald, said Joo operated a travel agency called Bestravel in 2013. He was supposed to check out of the hotel on June 17.
It also said that the team of Korean investigators is composed of a crime detective, a forensics agent and a profiler. (Nel Andrade)
