2023-08-22 21:45:07
South Korea’s Coast Guard has arrested a man who fled China on a jet ski. The Chinese national is activist Kwon Pyong, who was in prison for mocking President Xi Jinping, a representative of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Dialogue China told AFP. As the South Korean coast guard announced on Tuesday, the man fled more than 300 kilometers across the Yellow Sea between South Korea and China.
The man started the crossing from the east Chinese province of Shandong equipped only with a life jacket, helmet, compass and binoculars. In order to have enough fuel with him, he had five barrels filled with gasoline in tow. During the journey, he gradually filled up with petrol and then threw the barrels into the sea, it was said.
Claudia Bröll and Jochen Stahnke Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 17
According to the coast guard, the refugee finally got stuck in the Wadden Sea near the South Korean port of Incheon and called for help. He was later arrested. There is no evidence that he is a spy.
Activist Kwon Pyong, who China Dialogue identified the man as, had been convicted of subversion in China for his anti-Xi Jinping posts on online networks. According to the NGO, he is now considering applying for asylum in South Korea. However, the country only grants political asylum to a very small number of people. The Chinese Embassy in Seoul declined to comment on the incident.
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