WATCH: Choi Woo Shik is a fugitive residing in Manila in Netflix's 'A Killer Paradox'
The Philippines is featured in a new Netflix series!
Because of its varied scenery, the Philippines has been a sought-after destination for international film and TV productions, including Hollywood movies such as Apocalypse Now (1979) and The Bourne Legacy (2012).
Aside from the 2020 South Korean action comedy film The Golden Holiday, the Philippines served as a backdrop for Netflix's Korean crime drama A Killer Paradox, starring Choi Woo Shik, Son Suk Ku, and Lee Hee-Joon, which premiered last Feb. 9.
The streaming giant dropped a two-minute clip from the show's eighth episode, showing Woo Shik's scenes in Navotas and neighboring Manila.
In case you missed it, in March 2023, photos and videos of Woo Shik made rounds on social media after residents spotted him and a production crew in and around Navotas City. A year later, Netflix revealed that the shoot was for the South Korean actor's latest series, making fans excited about the project.
HOY SINO TAGA NAVOTAS? SANA ALL! CHOI WOOSHIK Y'ALL SPOTTED HERE IN PH. 😭😍
— Younjungieee (@lexa1097) March 17, 2023
Crdts. Hyungnim pic.twitter.com/qmninfUOz9
The video shows Woo Shik working in a fish port while residing in a populated area in Navotas, known as the country's fishing capital.
In the latter part of the video, Woo-shik, who played Lee Tang, is stopped by a group of men who ask where he came from and look for his passport.
A Killer Paradox follows the story of Choi Woo Shik, who plays the docile Lee Tang, an ordinary young man who doesn't fight back but inadvertently kills someone. He's always on edge, haunted by guilt and terror, and suddenly, an investigator named Jang Nan-gam, played by My Liberation Notes actor Son Suk-ku, is after him.
Jang closely monitors any changes in Lee's mood as the two engage in psychological warfare. However, a paradox came in when Lee's first murder victim was known to be a serial murderer.
PH as a destination for fleeing South Korean criminals
It's a prevalent trope in Korean television for Korean criminals to flee to the Philippines so as not to get caught, especially in prosecutor/police-themed dramas like A Killer Paradox, Confidential Assignment starring Hyun Bin, and Project Wolf Hunting with Seo In-Guk.
In fact, in 2014, The Korea Herald reported that the Philippines was the second top destination for criminal suspects fleeing South Korea, with more than 283 fugitives going here.
According to the data, China was the most favored destination with 707, third was Japan with 223, followed by Hong Kong with 165.
A total of 1,1390 fraud suspects, followed by 247 people accused of embezzlement, 149 of drug-related crimes, and 86 of theft, were among the crimes cited in the report.
The figures came to light when Rep. Lee Sang-min of the ruling Saenuri Party did a survey, highlighting that "more than half of criminal suspects who have fled South Korea to escape punishment have not yet been rounded up."