Gov’t takes steps to protect Koreans from crimes
The government is ramping up efforts to protect Korean nationals in the country following concerns raised by the Korean Consulate and the United Korean Community Association about crimes targeting their citizens, an official said on Tuesday.
In an interview over government television “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon,” Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), stressed the need to address crimes affecting Korean tourists and business owners.
From a report uploaded on April 21 on the website of Korean business newspaper Maeil, it cited the statistics gathered by South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying “over the past five years, more than 3,000 Koreans have suffered from violent crimes such as murder and robbery in the Philippines.”
Cruz noted the PAOCC, in coordination with the police and other agencies, is conducting crime mapping in areas with significant Korean communities.
“We’re identifying hot spots and boosting police visibility in those areas. We’ve also established police assistance desks specifically for tourists,” he said.
