Suspected Chinese rebel travels to South Korea on jet ski hundreds of miles away

A person who was riding a jet ski was captured by South Korea for supposedly reaching the country without permission. According to activists, this person is a well-known Chinese critic who traveled a long distance on the sea to run away from China.

A man in his 30s was caught on August 16th by the Incheon Coast Guard near Incheon, which is along South Korea’s west coast and close to the capital city of Seoul.

He is believed to have traveled from a province in eastern China, which is about 400 kilometers or 250 miles away from Incheon across the Yellow Sea. The man had a helmet, binoculars, and a compass with him. He also tied five fuel tanks to the jet ski, which could hold 25 liters (6. 6 gallons) of fuel each.

When he arrived in South Korea, he got stuck on a muddy shore and had to call for help from an emergency line, according to the statement. He got arrested and his case was sent to Incheon prosecutors on Tuesday, as per the coast guard’s statement to CNN.

The South Korean government has not told anyone the man’s name. CNN cannot confirm who he is on their own.

But, according to Dialogue China, a group created by experienced Chinese activists who collaborate with other protesters, the person who was arrested is Kwon Pyong, a Chinese activist.

Kwon went to Iowa State University in the United States and then came back to China. He has always openly disagreed with the government’s strict rules and control over what people can say. According to Freedom House, he spoke against human rights violations on social media and took part in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests in 2014.

In August 2016, he posted a picture on social media where he was wearing a T-shirt with mean words for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, like “Xitler. ” However, the tweet is no longer there.

According to Freedom House, he was arrested by the police and charged for what he posted on social media just a month later. His lawyers were removed by Chinese authorities a few days before his trial started.

Lee Dae-seon, an activist with Dialogue China in South Korea, stated that Kwon was sent to prison but later released in March 2019. The two people had been talking since August 2019. Kwon said he wants to go to another country to find safety.

Lee said that Kwon told him he was prepared to leave China and go to South Korea. However, Lee was unsure of the method Kwon would use to arrive there.

“On August 16, he phoned me right after the coast guard rescued him and I went to visit him yesterday,” Lee informed CNN on Wednesday. He wants to go to another country. He went to Iowa State University, which is why he can speak English. He would like to visit a country where people speak English.

“He said that he broke the immigration law because he was forced to do so by the Chinese government. He had no other option because they were investigating him politically, treating him unfairly in court, and closely watching him. ”

In recent years, China under Xi’s rule has increasingly limited what people can say and share on social media and other websites. Xi Jinping’s third term as leader caused a lot of anger and protests because of the country’s strict zero-Covid policy and ineffective lockdowns. As a response, the authorities cracked down on the protests by increasing surveillance and detaining protesters for a long time.