An official in Seoul has confirmed the release of a South Korean pastor on bail in China, Yonhap News has reported. The pastor has been held for the past five months in a detention center in China. He was detained due to allegedly assisting North Korean defectors.

 

The pastor was being held in a center in Shandong province. He was arrested on the 9th of July accused of aiding 5 North Korean defectors. The pastor, Jeon Jae-gwi, has yet to be charged. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told Yonhap News that, "To my knowledge, Pastor Jeon was released on bail on Dec. 14."

 

Chinese government policy on defectors means that citizens can be fined and/or imprisoned for assisting defectors. Several South Korean activists have been detained because of these regulations.

 

Source: Yonhap News