Another Korean Killed in Pampanga Philippines as the Korean Death Toll reaches shocking numbers.

Dec. 9 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean man in his 30s was stabbed to death in the Philippines, raising the number of Korean nationals murdered in the country to eight this year, government said on Friday.

The body of the businessman was found in a villa located in Porac, a heavily populated city in the province of Pampanga, according to the South Korean Embassy. A housekeeper found the victim's body and called the police.

Only identified by his surname Park, the victim was known to have arrived in Porac two days before his death, in search of new business opportunities.

Judging from the fact that Park was stabbed and not shot, experts believe the crime may have been a random robbery or personal vengeance, and not an organized crime by a professional killer.

In late October a South Korean was shot to death while driving in the resort town of Baguio, north of Manila.

Earlier in the same month, three South Koreans were shot and killed in Bacolor, in the northern Philippines. In a joint investigation by South Korean and Philippine police, a 38-year-old South Korean was arrested as the suspect.

The annual murder toll of South Koreans in the Philippines has stayed high in recent years, with the numbers rising from six in 2012 to 12 in 2013 and 11 in 2015.

jwc@yna.co.kr