A jet ski rider who has been detained since he washed up on South Korea’s coast is believed to be a Chinese dissident who feared for his safety and fled by crossing hundreds of miles of sea, trailing barrels of fuel behind him.

The coast guard in the western South Korean port city of Incheon said in a statement Sunday that a Chinese man in his 30s tried to illegally enter the country Aug. 16 by riding a jet ski from the Shandong area of China, an eastern province around 200 miles away across the Yellow Sea.

  • Jeena@jemmy.jeena.net
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    57
    arrow-down
    8
    ·
    1 year ago

    People like him are welcome in the non-authoritarian part of thè world. Just sad that he had to leave family and friends behind.

    Also, very cool stunt!

    • Magister@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      And he will be tracked wherever he goes by “china police” in foreign countries, like there’s in Canada, who will threaten to kill his family in China.

  • jcit878@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    50
    arrow-down
    5
    ·
    1 year ago

    any country a citizen needs to run from in fear for their life is objectively an utter shithole

  • boyi@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    25
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Lee said Kwon attended Iowa State University and has a degree in aerodynamics.

    He puts his knowledge to good use.

    • MicroWave@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      31
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      I’m sure you read the article but missed this part:

      “[They] told me that they found out from the Chinese authorities that Kwon was banned from leaving China,” Lee said. “[He] had no choice but to flee China for his safety.”

      China has increasingly used exit bans to bar people — including domestic critics and foreign executives — from leaving the country.

      • oatscoop@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        The USA state department has a “reconsider travel” warning for China, and they specifically cite exit bans as one of the reasons. Especially for Americans with Chinese dual citizenship, as China doesn’t recognize dual citizenship.