South Korea condemns dissident who fled China on a jet ski

After months of being held for immigration violations, a Chinese dissident who traveled from China to South Korea in a jet ski-like vehicle in August was given a suspended sentence on Thursday. His prospects remain unclear.

The court in Incheon, South Korea, gave the activist, Kwon Pyong, 35, a one-year suspended prison sentence suspended for two years, effectively ending his detention. For the past three months, Mr. Kwon has been in custody in Incheon.

After making the perilous journey, crossing some 200 miles (320 kilometers) of ocean on watercraft, Mr. Kwon was found stranded on a mudflat off the west coast of South Korea, near Incheon. He had hoped to apply for asylum, but was instead arrested for illegal entry. South Korea’s coast guard found him wearing a life jacket, a telescope, a compass and a helmet, according to local police.

Mr Kwon was charged with violating the Immigration Control Act. His legal team had initially hoped for a fine without detention, but several months in custody and a disappointing preliminary hearing in October had dampened their expectations.

Deportation would be the worst-case scenario for Mr. Kwon, but Thursday’s ruling makes that less likely.

“He dreamed of being sent back,” said Lee Dae-seon, an activist who has known Mr. Kwon for years and who last visited Mr. Kwon at the detention center on Monday.

Mr Kwon, who had been an outspoken critic of China for years, disappeared into Chinese police custody in 2016 after posting a photo of himself in a T-shirt that appeared to depict Xi Jinping with Hitler. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for inciting subversion and was released in March 2018. Since 2019, he has been telling Mr Lee that he was interested in seeking asylum in South Korea. The two men met through other human rights activists.

“We can’t imagine how bad it could be,” Mr. Kwon’s father, Quan He, said Thursday of the prospect of Mr. Kwon being sent back to China. “Under Chinese law, it is a sin to stand against your country,” said Mr. Quan, who came to South Korea shortly after hearing about his son’s arrest.

The court has been examining Mr. Kwon’s asylum claims, which his past anti-China posts on social media may provide support, said Ethan Hee-seok Shin, a legal analyst in Seoul. The court has yet to announce its decision.