Wednesday, October 08, 2008 Money woes ‘made Korean in Lapu shooting depressed’
TWO brothers-in-law of the Korean national who shot dead the wife of his business partner and the Filipino manager of Blue Marine Seafood Restaurant confirmed that Hyo Sik Woo had been depressed.
They claimed he suffered from maltreatment by the couple Kong Young Bae and Kim Kil Bok and was disheartened by the accusation that he embezzled over P1 million from them.
The in-laws also said that Woo had been forced to sell two cars because the funds to pay workers building a two-engine motorboat kept getting delayed.
However, both Vicente Jr. and Orlando Ople could not say how Woo got a .45 pistol, which he used to commit suicide after shooting Bok and Joel Molo the other day inside their restaurant in Barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City.
“We had no idea he was sick and tired of the situation, because he was always calm when he spoke to us,” the Oples said.
The Korean Embassy in Manila sent its police attaché the other day to monitor the progress on the case.
Real score
Dae Young Seo said he is satisfied with how the police force is running the investigation, but that his government wants to know as soon as possible what motivated the attack.
“I think we are almost at the truth, so we should leave the investigation to the police in the Philippines,” he added.
He said that Bok’s relatives in Korea are both mad about his death and baffled by what drove Woo to kill his fellow Korean.
Woo, 60, shot Bae first, but missed. He turned to Bok and Molo, shooting them to death before aiming the gun at his head.
In the meantime, Bae will be subjected to a paraffin test to determine if he recently fired a gun.
Acting City Police Director Mariano Natuel said he already ordered SPO2 Rolito Jumao-as, the homicide chief investigator, to bring Bae to the PNP Crime Laboratory at the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and the .45 pistol to the Firearms, Explosives, Security Agencies and Guard Services Section to trace its owner through its serial number.
The Korean community in Cebu also wants to know how Woo got hold of a handgun despite restrictions that keep foreigners from possessing a firearm in the Philippines.
Bok’s body was cremated at the funeral parlor in Mandaue City yesterday morning upon the consent of his parents, who arrived from Korea.
Advice
Orlando, who was also Woo’s personal driver for six years, denied accusations that his boss was addicted to gambling.
“He used to advise us against gambling and told us to spend our salary on food for our families,” he said.
He said he parted ways with Woo last August but returned when Woo asked him to help build a pumpboat near the Mactan Shrine.
Vicente Jr. said the last time he witnessed Bae and Woo arguing was last week. Bae was angered by the delay in finishing the pumpboat despite the huge amounts spent on the needed materials, Vicente recalled.
He said it was Woo who took charge of hiring people and getting the materials for building the motorboat, which Bae planned to rent out to other foreigners who wanted to go scuba-diving or island-hopping.
Four weeks ago, Vicente added, the couple also berated Woo.
A former secretary of Woo also confirmed that Bae was angry with her former employer because the latter could not account for money entrusted to him.
“They would yell at each other during arguments,” she said, adding that Blue Marine Seafood Restaurant operated using Bae’s money.
She recalled that in September, Woo threatened to kill the couple during one argument. (AIV)
