Korea suspends indictment of Chinese dissident for illegally entering country
Prosecutors cited exceptional circumstances and international appeals after Dong Guangping, who fled to Korea in a small inflatable boat, later left for Canada to reunite with his family.
Dong Guangping poses for a photo with the Canadian flag after arriving in Toronto, Canada, on June 27.DONG GUANGPING
Chinese dissident Dong Guangping received a suspension of indictment on charges of illegal entry into Korea, the state prosecution service said on Wednesday.
The Seosan branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office decided to suspend the indictment against Dong last Friday.
Dong was found drifting aboard a small motorized inflatable boat near an island off Taean County, South Chungcheong, at about 9:36 p.m. on May 25. He was spotted by local fishers and arrested by the Korea Coast Guard.
Dong Guangping is seen crossing the sea between China and Korea on May 24.DONG GUANGPING
Later, he was referred to prosecutors without detention.
Although his charges were substantiated, authorities decided not to pursue the case given the exceptional circumstances surrounding Dong’s offense, the Daejeon prosecutors said. One of the factors behind the decision was that Dong had already left Korea, making it unlikely that any sentence could be enforced.
Appeals from international organizations also influenced the decision. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had submitted opinion letters expressing concern over imposing excessive criminal punishment for his illegal entry.
Dong reunited with his wife and daughters in Toronto, Canada, last month after leaving Korea, according to a report by The New York Times. His family members had already settled there.
Dong revealed his intention to seek asylum when he appeared in court for a detention hearing in May. He reportedly said he wanted to go to Canada.
A rubber boat used by Chinese dissident Dong Guangping to illegally enter Korea is shown in a photo provided by the Korea Coast Guard Station Taean.KOREA COAST GUARD STATION TAEAN
Dong argued that he had not entered Korea simply to cross the border illegally but to seek help, according to the Korea Coast Guard.
After a court rejected prosecutors' request for his arrest warrant, Dong temporarily stayed at the Incheon Immigration Office before flying to Canada.
Dong served as a police officer and soldier in China. However, he was later dismissed in 1999 after signing a letter tied to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. He has since become a prominent dissident and democracy activist in China.
Dong was detained after attending a Tiananmen memorial event in 2014 and went on to face repeated imprisonment following a series of escapes and forced returns from Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
