MANILA, Philippines - A South Korean national accused of robbing and attempting to kill a compatriot in Palawan 2 years ago has been arrested by Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers. Gwan Wook-ko, 35, was arrested last December 14 in Taguig City, BI officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma said Sunday in a press statement. Gwan will be deported to Seoul once the bureau issues the order for his summary deportation, Ledesma said. A Seoul district court had issued an arrest warrant for Gwan, who allegedly robbed and shot his boss, also a Korean, at a golf resort in Bulacao, Palawan in 2008. The complainant, Lee Gye-gwan, claimed that the suspect took his expensive watch after shooting him 4 times in the body and hitting him with a stick in the head. Lee added that Gwan also tried but failed to take his bag containing US$50,000.
According to BI-Interpol unit chief Floro Balato Jr., Gwan was believed to have fled to Korea after the incident, prompting the victim to file his complaint with the police authorities in Seoul. Jerome Gabionza, BI Interpol operations chief, said Gwan's passport was already cancelled by the Korean government, making him an undocumented alien. Gabionza said the fugitive was about to enter the South Korean embassy presumably to secure his travel documents when he was arrested by immigration agents.