South Korea arrests man who traveled 190 miles from China by jet ski

Aug. 23 (UPI) -- A man believed to be a Chinese dissident in his 30s has been arrested on charges of attempting to smuggle himself into South Korea after making the nearly 190-mile journey across the Yellow Sea from his native country by jet ski, authorities said.

The man was arrested at about 10:30 p.m. Aug. 16 near the Incheon Port Cruise Terminal, the Incheon Coast Guard told UPI in an email, which identified the suspect only as Mr. A.

He was taken into custody in possession of a life jacket, helmet, telescope and compass.

Authorities said he had left China's eastern Shandong province upon a 1800cc jet ski filled with 18.5 gallons of fuel that was towing another five 6.6-gallon fuel canisters that were attached to the vehicle by rope.

The Chinese national used the trailing canisters to refuel his vehicle before discarding the empty containers into the sea, the Incheon Coast Guard said.

The Incheon Coast Guard said it was notified of the jet ski at about 8 p.m. and dispatched a rescue operation at about 9:30 p.m. when it received a call from the man reporting his vehicle had become stuck on mudflats.

Authorities said the man appears to have attempted to enter South Korea alone and without help.

"[Mr.] A has stayed in Korea in the past and has visited Incheon several times, and the Coast Guard is continuing to investigate the exact details," it said, adding the man has been accused of "attempting to smuggle himself" into the country and has been arrested on charges of violating the Immigration Control Act.

Though the authorities did not name the man, activist Lee Dae-seon of Dialogue China told Hankyoreh that the suspect was human rights activist Kwon Pyong.

Lee told the local newspaper that he has visited Kwon since his arrest and that he was detained while attempting to seek asylum in South Korea on political grounds.

"He has been subjected to political repression, such as being arrested by the secret police in 2016 for posting a photo of himself wearing a T-shirt with a slogan satirizing Chinese President Xi Jinping on his social media accounts," Lee said.

Kwon, a graduate of Iowa State university, has been active in protesting authoritarian rule and human rights violations in China since at least 2014, when he participated in pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, according to Freedom House.

The U.S.-based pro-democracy and freedom organization said Kwon was detained in China on Sept. 30, 2016, and indicted February 2017 for comments he posted on social media platforms.

Lee told Hankyoreh that Kwon, an ethnic Korean with relatives in South Korea, was then sentenced that same month to 18 months in prison.

"He has been consistently requesting asylum from when he was first arrested by the Coast Guard until he was sent to the prosecutors," Lee said.