The National Police Agency plans to deploy an officer overseas to help with cases involving Korean expatriates, officials said Wednesday.

The agency is coordinating with the Philippine National Police to send a Korean officer to the Philippines to help with investigations. The Philippines is one of the most popular tourist destinations for Koreans and has a sizable number of Korean expatriates. According to the NPA, the Philippines is also a popular haven for Korean fugitives.

“We are aggressively seeking a measure to send one of our officers to their ‘Korean Desk’ and oversee all cases involving Korean expats,” said one NPA Foreign Affairs Bureau official who declined to be named.

The Korean Desk was set up by the Philippine National Police to respond to crimes concerning Koreans within the country.

This will mark the first time a Korean officer has been dispatched to another country’s agency.

Both agencies are processing the deployment after NPA Commissioner General Cho Hyun-oh met with PNP Director General Nicanor Bartolome in May and discussed the plan.

The senior inspector or superintendent deployed to the county will be responsible for the safety of Korean expatriates and tourists in the country and the arrest Korean fugitives.

Outside of the Philippines, officials are also looking to send officers to 12 foreign cities including Atlanta, Frankfurt, Dubai and Fukuoka.

According to government data, as of 2010 there were 96,000 Korean expatriates residing in the Philippines.

“There have been calls for increased protection by police as the number of fugitives and incidents involving Korean expatriates rise,” said one police official.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)