A total of 164 South Koreans were killed while overseas from 2012-2016, foreign ministry data showed Thursday.
The most Koreans were slain in the Philippines with 48, followed by the United States with 21, China with 13 and Japan with 10, according to the ministry data submitted to Rep. Hong Chul-ho of the minor opposition Bareun Party.
Last year alone, nine South Koreans were killed in the Philippines, nearly half of the total number of Koreans murdered overseas, 19.
(Yonhap)
A "Korean desk" was established in the Philippines police agency to deal exclusively with crimes against Koreans. A South Korean police officer is dispatched to the desk. A Korean desk is set up in Vietnam's police agency, but no Korean officer is deployed there.
Hong called for efforts to set up Korean desks in more countries.
The ministry data also showed that 203 Koreans suffered sexual harassment and assaults during the same period: 23 people in 2012, 41 in 2013, 29 in 2014, 53 in 2015 and 57 in 2016.
China was the place with the most sexual crimes against Koreans with 45 victims, followed by 33 in Europe, 17 in the US, seven in Canada, six in the Philippines and five in Japan. (Yonhap)
