Korean car dealer killed in Mandaue

CEBU, Philippines - A Korean car dealer was killed while his Filipino driver was injured when they were attacked while travelling along A.S. Fortuna Street in Barangay Banilad, Mandaue City yesterday afternoon.

Yi Sung Jung, of Su Won City in South Korea, and his driver, Sonny Ubal, 42, were on board an SUV  with plate No. ZLC 546 and bound for Cebu City when two motorcycle-riding men opened fire at them around 3:30 p.m.

Yi sustained several gunshot wounds to different parts of his body and was killed immediately. Ubal was wounded in his right hand.

Casuntingan Police Station chief Sr. Insp. Ramil Morpos said that prior to the incident, the victim had a meeting with his four other Korean friends at Zing Café and Restobar along A.S Fortuna Street. 

At past 3 p.m., Yi, who was temporarily residing at the Crown Regency Hotel in Cebu City, left behind his friends and boarded his vehicle.

Police reports said as they were heading towards Cebu City, two men on board a red Honda XRM motorcycle tailed them. Upon reaching near the Joven’s Grill, the men opened fire at the victims.

Upon seeing the bloodied Korean, Ubal immediately jumped off the car, which bumped the railings of Joven’s Grill.

Ubal, a resident of B. Rodriguez Street in Cebu City, ran to hide as the Korean was slumped on the road.

Their attackers, who covered their faces with scarves and wore black jackets and shorts, then fled towards Cebu City.

The two victims were brought to the nearby Gullas Medical Center where the Korean national was pronounced dead on arrival.

At the crime scene, police recovered five empty shells and two slugs of .45 caliber pistol.

They also recovered the victim’s bag which contained a pack of white crystalline substance believed to be shabu, syringes, a vial of nubain and some dried marijuana leaves.

Morpos said the white crystalline substance will be brought to the PNP Crime Laboratory to check if it is indeed shabu.

Morpos said they are in custody of the victims’ cellular phones for “technical examination” to determine the motive of the killing.

He also said that they took the cellular phones of the four other Koreans whom Yi had met earlier.

He said the four were very cooperative in the investigation and turned over their phones to the police.

Morpos said they will look at all possible angles in the incident, including  illegal drugs and Yi’s business in Cebu.

He said that they will also check Yi’s lovelife since the Korean had a Filipina girlfriend.

The police will be coordinating with the Foreign Liaison Office at the Police Regional Office-7 as the victim’s cell phone contained Korean text messages.

Charlie Shin, an official of the Association of Korean Community in Cebu, assured the police that they will help solve the case.

As of press time, the police were still conducting operation to arrest the assailants. -/LPM  (FREEMAN)