Chinese National Enters Korean Waters by Rubber Boat... Chinese Authorities Say "Unaware"

Mao Ning Addresses Foreign Press Briefing
NYT Confirms "Chinese Human Rights Activist Dong Guangping"

The Chinese government has refused to confirm details regarding a Chinese national in his 60s who was arrested after entering Korean territorial waters using a rubber boat on the 25th.

Mao Ning, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Beijing in October 2023. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 28th, spokesperson Mao Ning dismissed questions at a foreign press briefing the previous day about whether the Korean and Chinese governments had been in contact regarding the matter or whether China was seeking the individual's repatriation, stating, "I am not aware of that issue."

According to the Korean Coast Guard, at approximately 9:36 p.m. on the 25th, a Chinese national entered the northwestern waters of Seogyeokbido, Taean County, South Chungcheong Province, using a rubber boat. The Coast Guard was dispatched upon receiving a report and immediately arrested the individual. The authorities quickly sent a patrol ship, apprehended the person on board, and are currently investigating the details of the incident.

The New York Times reported the previous day that the individual has been identified as Dong Guangping (董廣平, 68), a Chinese human rights activist. He has previously served as a police officer and in the military in China. In 1999, he was dismissed from the police for signing a letter related to the Tiananmen Square incident, and after participating in a Tiananmen memorial event in 2014, he was detained by Chinese authorities.

According to the New York Times, Dong Guangping is said to have referred to the case of human rights activist Quan Ping, who illegally entered the waters off Incheon from China on a jet ski in 2023. Quan Ping was arrested by the Coast Guard at the time, detained for several months on charges of illegal entry, and later applied for asylum in the United States in 2024. Chinese-Canadian Sheng Xue, who is assisting Dong Guangping, told the New York Times that Dong hopes to go to Canada.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.