Korean tourist fakes own kidnap, is sent back home

A Korean tourist, who claimed to be a victim of a kidnap-for-ransom syndicate, ended up being sent back on a plane to his country for allegedly fabricating his abduction in Manila.

The family of 25-year-old Lee Jung Bong initially sought the help of the Korean Embassy on Friday, claiming that Lee had been locked inside a room of the City State Tower Hotel along Mabini Street in Ermita by kidnappers demanding 27 million Korean won (approximately $25,000 or P1 million) for his release.

Consul Kim Tae Soo immediately requested the help of the Manila Police District (MPD) and the city government in rescuing his compatriot.

Teams from the MPD City Hall Police Action (Chapa) unit and the General Assignment Section (GAS) were immediately deployed Friday afternoon to the hotel to rescue the victim and arrest his kidnappers.

When the Chapa unit and GAS personnel arrived at City State Tower at around 3 p.m., they found Lee at the coffee shop in the hotel lobby with another Korean, Jo Chang Kyu, who claimed that Lee owed him 27 million won.

Concurrent MPD Chapa and GAS head Chief Insp. Marcelo Reyes said that Lee then admitted to concocting the abduction story because he had incurred a large amount of debt due to gambling.

Reyes said that Lee’s creditor had gotten hold of his passport and was keeping it until the debt is paid. The MPD personnel were able to retrieve Lee’s passport from the other Korean and suggested that he instead formally file a charge against his compatriot if he wanted his money back. But the creditor declined to sue Lee.

“The police will never be a tool to the personal loan of parties as a collecting agent,” Reyes stressed, adding that Lee’s alleged kidnapping had raised a city-wide alarm.

Lee was taken into the custody of the MPD Chapa which was asked by the Korean Embassy to escort the tourist on a plane back to his country.

Initially the MPD considered filing a charge of alarms and scandals against Lee for the fabricated abduction but decided against pursuing the case.