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Catching the devil in Angeles City: How inspector Lee Ji-hoon nabbed alleged drug kingpin in the Philippines

Published: 27 Mar. 2026, 17:42 Updated: 27 Mar. 2026, 21:49

In this photo provided by inspector Lee Ji-hoon, bodies of three Koreans lie at a sugarcane field in northern Philippines as Lee, second from left, examines the scene on Oct. 11, 2016. [LEE JI-HOON]

In a sugarcane field in the northern Philippines in 2016, three dead bodies lay in the dirt.

When a local police officer found them, they initially assumed the victims were Chinese. But when inspector Lee Ji-hoon arrived and examined the evidence, he noticed Korean on the labels of the victims’ clothing. The scene bore signs of a hurried attempt to conceal the crime — a partially dug hole, bloodstains and tall stalks of sugarcane obscuring the bodies. Each victim had a single shot to the head.

The investigation that followed would later inspire an episode of the Disney+ series “Big Bet” (2022).

Lee, who served as the first Korean Desk officer in Angeles City, the Philippines, from 2015 to 2017, began tracking the suspect in an unfamiliar and often frustrating environment. He worked on little sleep — sometimes just two or three hours a day for more than a month — as he tried to piece together what had happened to the three victims.

Lee Ji-hoon, an inspector with the Korean National Police Agency’s Interpol division, poses for a photo at the JoongAng Ilbo building in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, western Seoul, on Nov. 5, 2025. [KIM KYOUNG-ROK]

The obstacles were constant. The Korean Desk, a unit staffed by Korean police officers dispatched abroad, had no authority to make arrests, leaving Lee dependent on local law enforcement. Investigative practices differed sharply from those in Korea, slowing progress and complicating coordination. And on top of that, the country lacks the sheer number of surveillance cameras in the streets for investigators to work with.

At one point, the suspect even crossed paths with Lee during the early stages of the investigation, but offered the investigator false information before slipping away.

Still, Lee pressed on.

Drawing on cooperation with local authorities and his experience in cross-border crime, he continued to narrow the search. The case stirred concern in the Philippines, a nation that recorded over 1,200 intentional killings using firearms in 2019.

Eventually, Lee identified and apprehended the killer: Park Wang-yeol, who is also suspected of running a major narcotics operation from prison.

He was recently extradited to Korea, where investigators plan to question him as part of an inquiry into his drug distribution network and other offenses.

Park Wang-yeol, suspected of operating a drug operation while serving a prison sentence in the Philippines, is escorted after being extradited to Korea at Incheon International Airport on March 25. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

In an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, Lee described the murder case as a turning point in his career and a stark example of the challenges Korean investigators face abroad.

Now a specialist in Southeast Asian crime and a former head of the Southeast Asia International Cooperation Team at the Korean National Police Agency’s Interpol National Central Bureau, he has spent years tracking transnational criminal networks.

The following are edited excerpts from the interview.

Q. What case do you remember the most about your time as an officer on the Korean Desk?

A. The "sugarcane field murders," in which three Koreans were found dead, still stay with me. It was later depicted in the drama "Big Bet."

In October 2016, I was having coffee with an informant in the morning when a fellow officer called to say that three people, believed to be Chinese, had been shot and killed. Local media reported that the victims were presumed to be Taiwanese, and local police also contacted me, asking if I knew any Chinese nationals.

I asked whether they had confirmed the victims’ nationality using identification found on the bodies, but they said they had not. Filipinos can find it difficult to distinguish East Asians. At that moment, I felt a chill. I knew I had to verify it myself.

When I arrived at the scene, a staff member from the Taiwanese consulate was already there. Taiwan needed to send fingerprints back to the home country for verification, but in Korea, a clear photograph is often enough. I took photos of the fingerprints and sent them to Korea. While waiting for the results, I examined the victims’ clothing and saw Korean writing. Soon after, the fingerprint analysis confirmed that all three were Korean.

Were you surprised?

Even in the Philippines, where the rate of contract killings is relatively high, a case involving three victims at once was a big deal. In Korea, it is practically unthinkable.

I began the investigation, but no members of the Korean community knew the victims. As I made inquiries, I came across a man named Park Wang-yeol. In our first interview, he said, "I met the victims, but they said they had a prior engagement, so I dropped them off in front of a fast-food restaurant." At the time, Park was only a witness, and we parted ways.

But after thinking about the case for two or three hours, something felt off. There were two male victims and one female, but among the victims’ belongings, there was no female underwear. Park had said they were going out to meet someone, but I found it strange to imagine an adult woman heading out for an appointment without putting on underwear. From that point on, I began to question his statement.

The location where the bodies were found also raised suspicion. It was a tall sugarcane field known mainly to locals. Contract killers in the Philippines do not take victims to such places — they typically shoot them on the street and flee. This suggested a Korean-style crime carried out by someone familiar with the local terrain. I began to suspect someone from the Korean community. Around that time, Park also disappeared.

Park Wang-yeol, a suspected drug kingpin convicted of killing three Korean nationals in the Philippines and accused of trafficking narcotics into Korea, is escorted through Incheon International Airport on March 25. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Even if you suspected him, was it difficult to find evidence in the Philippines?

Fortunately, support arrived from Korea, including forensic investigators, a profiler and members of the Korean Desk in Manila. Together with the Philippine police, we searched Park’s residence and conducted an extensive forensic examination. We found several key pieces of evidence.

There were casino deposit slips in the victims’ names stating that only Park could withdraw the funds. A gardener also testified that Park had borrowed a shovel. At the sugarcane field, we found signs that someone had started digging but stopped midway. We also obtained CCTV footage showing Park’s car heading toward the field.

As we zeroed in on the suspect, tips began to come in from the local Korean community. People said Park had asked others to hide him after saying, "I’m in trouble," and had also asked someone to hide a gun. In one case, he left a bag with an acquaintance, saying a friend had gotten into trouble. Inside was tape that was used to bind the victims’ mouths and their belongings.

Another tip suggested we check his girlfriend’s social media accounts. She had posted photos from a resort, and in one image, the edge clearly showed Park’s arm tattoo. I asked my Philippine colleagues to help, and we drove five hours to the resort, only to find he had checked out the day before. Soon after, another post appeared from a different resort. We drove three hours to get there, but again, he had left just hours earlier.

The next day, we received a tip that he would attempt to flee from the northernmost airport in the Philippines. We rushed there, but it led nowhere.

Was that frustrating?

I barely slept. More than 10 people, including personnel dispatched from Korea and local officers, worked nights without rest. Until the case was resolved, I slept only three to four hours a day.

Then we obtained a crucial photo. There was intelligence that Park was in a condominium in Manila. We requested additional support from the Philippine police and prepared for an arrest. The building was a massive complex with thousands of units, but we searched it thoroughly — and finally apprehended him.

Is it safe to travel to Southeast Asia?

Going as a tourist is no problem. Criminals rarely target random tourists in the local area. The developments in Cambodia [last summer involving Korean nationals abducted by phishing rings] may have brought some concerns, but most of the crimes involve unsolved debts and other conflicts.

No issues usually arise from traveling while observing safety precautions.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM HONG-BUM, PARK KUN [[email protected]]

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Catching the devil in Angeles City: How inspector Lee Ji-hoon nabbed alleged drug kingpin in the Philippines

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