Following his fourth escape attempt, the prominent dissident was detained by the South Korean coast guard after a grueling 50-hour journey across the sea in a 3.3-meter dinghy.
A Chinese political activist is in South Korean custody after escaping from China in a small rubber boat in what was his fourth known attempt to flee the country – a risk he took hoping to reunite with his family in Canada.
Dong Guangping, 68, was found aboard a 3.3-metre rubber boat in the waters off a western South Korean island on Monday night and was detained by the coast guard for allegedly violating immigration law, according to news agency AP.
Court refuses arrest
A local court on Thursday refused to grant a warrant to formally arrest him, saying it was “difficult to recognise sufficient grounds and necessity” for his detention. The coast guard said it would hand him over to an immigration office, but would continue to investigate him.
Appearing at the court hearing, Dong told reporters he hopes to travel to Canada via South Korea to reunite with his wife and daughters, who have already resettled there, according to South Korean media.
Refugee status uncertain
Dong’s prospects remain unclear. Investigative authorities could pursue his arrest again or indict him without physical detention. South Korea’s Justice Ministry said if Dong applies for refugee status, it will review the application — though observers note the country’s acceptance rate for such applications has been under 2 per cent in recent years.
A history of activism and imprisonment
Dong, a former police officer, had been detained in China multiple times for his activism. He was imprisoned for three years in 2001 for “inciting subversion of state power” and spent more than eight months behind bars after being arrested in 2014 for participating in a memorial for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, according to Amnesty International.
He had previously escaped to Thailand and Vietnam, but authorities there deported him back to China. He also unsuccessfully attempted to swim to a Taiwanese island.
Barely conscious when he reached Korean waters
Sheng Xue, a Chinese Canadian activist, said in a post on X that Dong had discussed the idea of fleeing by boat with her, though she had felt it was too dangerous. After he arrived in South Korea, she spoke with him over Messenger.
“Dong Guangping said that when he reached Korean waters, he was already in a state of unconsciousness. He hadn’t slept for over 50 hours and had been blown by sea winds for over 30 hours,” she said, according to the report.
A local coast guard office said Dong had no major health issues when he was detained and told investigators he had set off from Weihai city in China’s eastern Shandong province. He refused to respond to most other questions.
Diplomatic response muted
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked about Dong’s case at a regular briefing on Wednesday. The spokesperson said he was “not familiar with that.” South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il said the case would likely be handled in line with local law, referring further questions to the Justice Ministry. The Canadian Embassy in Seoul said it was aware of the reports but was not in a position to comment further, as per the report.
Dong is not the first Chinese dissident to reach South Korea by boat, though such incidents are rare. In 2023, a man named Kwon Pyong arrived on a jet ski, saying he was fleeing persecution for mocking China’s communist leadership. He was initially detained but later reportedly moved to the United States to seek asylum.
