'Chinese activist Kwon Pyong' fled to South Korea on jet ski

A man believed to be a Chinese rights activist has been arrested in South Korea after an apparent attempt to flee there on a jet ski. Jet skiing across choppy waters to South Korea is perhaps one of the more extreme escape attempts seen in modern times. South Korea's coast guard said the man, wearing a life jacket and helmet, was towing five barrels of fuel from Shandong province behind the 1800cc machine. South Korea-based campaigner Lee Dae-seon, from non-profit organisation Dialogue China, told the AFP news agency on Tuesday that Mr Kwon, 35, was the escapee. Mr Kwon has spent time in prison in China for publicly criticising President Xi. It is highly likely that he would have experienced problems trying to leave the country by regular travel routes in order to claim asylum, and he is likely to have been subject to an exit ban stopping him from departing China legally. Mr Lee said: "While means of entry into South Korea in violation of the law was wrong, surveillance of the Chinese authorities and political persecution of Kwon since 2016 are behind his life-risking crossing into South Korea." He added that Mr Kwon was now considering whether to apply for refugee status in South Korea - which only grants a handful of requests each year - or a third country.