Kidnapping complaint filed vs 4 Koreans in Cebu City

Cebu City, Philippines—Four Koreans are facing charges for kidnapping a fellow Korean who just arrived in Cebu City in August.

The Criminal Detection and Investigation Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) filed kidnapping for ransom charges against Kim Jong Seok, Choi Se Yong and two unidentified Koreans at the city prosecutor’s office on Thursday afternoon.  The suspects remained at large, as of Thursday.

They were accused of abducting Kwon Young Hoon, 28, last Aug. 21, just a few hours after he arrived in Cebu for a vacation.

He was kept inside a rented apartment in Lapu-Lapu City and was released two days later after paying $7,000 in ransom.

The victim has returned to South Korea. The suspects remained at large.

Based on the CIDG-7 report, Kwon met one of the suspects through the Internet while he was trying to book online his ticket to Cebu from South Korea.

The suspect, who was not identified in the report, told Kwon that he too had the same flight schedule to Cebu and offered if they could travel together.

“They became friends and exchanged phone numbers,” the report said.

But the two decided to meet in Cebu.

Kwon arrived here at 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 21. He proceeded to his hotel at the Capitol Site through the hotel’s service vehicle.

“Just an hour after he checked in the hotel, the Korean he met in the Internet called and inquired about his whereabouts. He was told to wait at the hotel and invited him for a bottle of beer at the Mango Square along General Maxilom, Cebu City,” the report said.

The report said that after drinking, the suspect told him to proceed to a Korean bar. They boarded a Hyundai Starex van driven by a Korean.

After driving a few meters, the van stopped and two Koreans boarded the vehicle. The suspects then blindfolded Kwon and mauled him.

He was brought to an apartment in Lapu-Lapu City. The suspects initially demanded $40,000 for his liberty but the ransom was reduced to $7,000. The money was sent to Cebu through a commercial bank.

The victim was released on Aug. 23 after the suspects received the ransom.

Kwon told his friend in Korea what happened to him. His friend then informed some of his Korean friends in Cebu who reported the crime to the police. The police then contacted the victim.