Korean mafia?

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 is still looking if the sex tourism syndicate uncovered in Lapu-Lapu City was part of a Korean mafia that President Ro- drigo Duterte revealed.

For their part, Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale called the rescue operation successful while Acting Vice Mayor Harry Radaza said they will take measures on the effect of the syndicate. Radaza heads the LapuLapu City Council’s tourism body.

NBI 7 Special Agent Arnel Pura said, “We cannot conclude. It ap- pears that the syndicate’s operation was limited to one group and no network which we conclude as a mafia.”

Pura said the Koreans were enticed by the three major players of the syndicate who is still at large.

The NBI 7 is also coordinating with the Korean consulate as they are having a hard time cracking the websites used to operate these sex tour packages.

Nine Koreans were arrested by the NBI 7, in coordination with the Provincial Women’s Commission, after they hired a syndicate that hires trafficked Filipina women for escorts and sexual partners in their vacation here in Cebu.

They were identified as Jongnam Ham, Jong In Han, Munsu Lee, Hosik Park, Joontae Kim, Jae Gyu Kim and Dongkil Kim.

No charges have been filed against Namgyun Shin and Byeonghae Park, who are awaiting their Filipino partners who had gone home before the operation.

Magpale, who heads the Provincial Women’s Commission, said the bureau’s operation success co-