Manila: President Lee Jae Myung announced his request for the Philippines' cooperation in temporarily repatriating a South Korean national detained in the Southeast Asian country to face justice at home over drug trafficking allegations.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee made this request during summit talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., aiming to combat transnational crime and address security concerns among Korean residents in the Philippines. Lee highlighted a rise in incidents affecting Korean nationals in the Philippines, despite a decline in such cases domestically.

Lee referenced a South Korean criminal, Park, detained in the Philippines for killing three South Koreans and allegedly trafficking drugs to South Korea via Telegram. Park Wang-yeol, known as the "Telegram drug kingpin," has been serving a 60-year sentence in the Philippines since 2022. Lee asked for Park's temporary repatriation for investigation, and Marcos expressed willingness to review and implement this request soon.

Additionally, Lee urged Marcos to intensify efforts to apprehend suspects involved in the 2016 murder of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo by Philippine police. While two accomplices received life sentences in 2023, the senior official allegedly behind the murder was acquitted, with his whereabouts unknown. Lee noted that Marcos pledged to exert maximum efforts and mentioned Seoul's potential involvement to aid in the arrest.