NKnet researcher and North Korea human rights campaigner Kim Young Hwan was recently arrested by the Chinese security forces and has been in detention in the country for more than 50 days, it has emerged.
According to the South Korean Consulate-General in Shenyang, “Kim Young Hwan is being detained with three other South Koreans by the Ministry of Public Security in Liaoning Province.”
Kim, who was responsible for the 1997 disbanding of ‘Minhyukdang’, an underground political party aligned with North Korea that he led until its collapse, is reportedly accused of connection with North Korea democratization activists based in China.
Consular officials in Shenyang have reportedly applied for diplomatic contact with all the arrested individuals, but have only been allowed to speak with Kim himself; permission to speak with the remainder has been denied.
