South Korea detains dissident who fled China in rubber boat

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - SEOUL — A Chinese dissident has been detained in South Korea after he made a daring 30-hour escape from China by sea to the country, his fourth attempt to flee authorities in his homeland and reunite with his family who have been granted asylum in Canada.

Dong Guangping, a former police officer who has faced years of imprisonment and detention for his activism, fled using an inflatable boat and was picked up by the coast guard in Korean waters on Monday night.

South Korea's coast guard told the BBC that Dong is under investigation for suspected immigration violations and his case will be referred to prosecutors.

Dong, who has also been granted asylum in Canada, escaped China at least three times previously, but was sent back each time. He had fled to Thailand and later Vietnam, only to find authorities in those countries detain and deport him back to China, sparking anguish for his family and criticism from rights groups.

His arrival in South Korea could now put pressure on the administration of President Lee Jae Myung – who took office last year and has tried to reset his country’s often shaky ties with China.

The 68-year-old had been jailed in China several times for his activism, such as taking part in events to commemorate the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

When asked about Monday's incident China's foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had not aware of the case.

Dong had set out from Weifang, a city in the central Shandong province, in a rubber boat with an engine, according to Canada-based activist Sheng Xue who posted on X saying she had spoken to Dong after he reached South Korea.

He had told her that he had spent more than 30 hours at sea, and was "fainting" from exhaustion by the time he reached the waters off Taean, a county on South Korea's western coast.

South Korea's coast guard said they rescued him after receiving a report from a fishing boat that had spotted Dong.

Dong had previously discussed his escape plan with Sheng Xue, she said, but she had told him it would be too dangerous.

"He ended up really doing it... Dong Guangping is too tenacious, too brave," she said, adding that he had planned his escape with "meticulous checks and preparation".

Human Rights in China (HRIC), an NGO based in New York, has urged Seoul to "uphold humanitarian principles and international human rights obligations" by not handing Dong over to China, where he "faces a grave risk of persecution and torture".

It also called on Korean authorities to allow Dong to seek political asylum, or help facilitate his safe passage to Canada where his family members live.

"That a man nearing seventy years old was driven to cross open seas in a small inflatable boat is itself a devastating indictment of China's human rights situation," HRIC said.