South Korea detains Chinese activist off west coast

South Korean authorities are investigating a Chinese national detained after he was found drifting in a small boat off the country's west coast earlier this week. The man has been identified by activists and his lawyer as Dong Guangping, a 68-year-old former police officer and longtime political activist who has repeatedly attempted to flee China.

Dong was spotted by a fishing vessel late Monday evening approximately 38 nautical miles off the coast of Taean county, South Chungcheong Province. The crew alerted the Coast Guard, which dispatched patrol vessels and detained him. Officials said he was found inside South Korean territorial waters aboard a 3.3-meter-long inflatable boat equipped with a 10-horsepower motor. The Coast Guard confirmed the detainee is a Chinese man in his sixties and said he is being questioned on suspicion of violating immigration laws.

According to activists familiar with his case, this was Dong's fourth attempt to escape China. He reportedly departed from the coastal city of Weihai in Shandong province and spent more than 30 hours at sea before his boat's engine failed as he approached the Korean coast. A fellow activist, Sheng Xue, stated that Dong was...