There was only one reason for the U-turn, three people who attended the Jan. 29 meeting told Reuters. Duterte was furious that drugs-squad cops had not only kidnapped and murdered a South Korean businessman, they had strangled him to death in the headquarters of the Philippines National Police itself. Worried that the incident would dent the Philippines' image in South Korea, Duterte sent Panelo to Seoul to apologize to acting president Hwang Kyo-ahn. About 55,000 Filipinos work in South Korea and the Philippines attracts Koreans studying English, over 3,700 of them last year. Hoik Lee, president of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, said South Koreans felt increasingly unsafe in the country.

Source: Standard Digital February 13, 2017 06:22 UTC