“He told me he would find a way out no matter what.”
A Chinese dissident has reached South Korea after making a dangerous escape by sea from China, according to activists and South Korean authorities.
The man, identified as Dong Guangping, was detained by the South Korean coast guard after arriving on the country’s western coast following a journey that reportedly lasted more than 30 hours.
Officials said Dong traveled in a small rubber boat with an engine after leaving China’s Shandong province. South Korean authorities confirmed that a Chinese man in his 60s had been taken into custody over immigration related violations while investigations continue.
People close to Dong say this was not his first attempt to flee China.
Dong, a former police officer turned government critic, has spent years facing pressure from Chinese authorities because of his activism connected to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Friends say he had repeatedly tried to leave the country over the years but was returned several times.
“I knew he had that determination and that willpower,” Chinese activist Zang Xihong said after speaking with him by phone.
According to activists, Dong previously fled to Thailand with his family in 2015 after receiving refugee status from the United Nations. But Thai authorities later deported him back to China, where he was imprisoned again.
After his release, he reportedly tried escaping through Taiwan and later Vietnam, but both attempts failed.
This latest journey appears to have been his most dangerous yet.
Friends said Dong was nearly unconscious by the time he reached South Korean waters after spending more than a full day crossing the sea in a small boat.
“He sacrificed a lot over the years,” former Tiananmen protest leader Zhou Fengsuo said.
The story has quickly drawn attention among Chinese activists overseas, many of whom say it reflects the growing pressure faced by dissidents inside China.
Some activists compared Dong’s journey to another high profile escape in 2023 when Chinese activist Kwon Pyong fled to South Korea on a jet ski after facing pressure from Chinese authorities.
South Korean officials have not yet said whether Dong will be granted asylum or deported.
His family is believed to be living in Canada, and activists say he hopes to eventually reunite with them there.
China has not publicly commented on the case so far.
For many activists watching the situation, Dong’s escape is being seen as another reminder of how far some dissidents are willing to go in order to leave China and avoid returning to prison again.
