Seoul, 17 August: An ethnic Korean woman in China was arrested in May and
sent to prison for belonging to the banned Chinese spiritual movement Falun
Gong, her South Korean husband claimed Tuesday (17 August).
Ko Sung-nyo was arrested in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province, after unidentified
people tipped off Chinese security officials about her being a follower of Falun
Gong, apparently in return for money, the husband, Kwack Byung-ho, said.
The 29-year-old Ko was originally sentenced to three years in prison, but the
sentence was reduced to one year after her father pleaded for leniency through
his acquaintances, Kwack told the Yonhap News Agency, without elaborating.
Kwack also claimed that his wife was tortured while in custody and now is an
inmate in Laogai, a forced-labour camp that critics say was designed to
eliminate anyone whose political, religious or societal views differ from those
of the Chinese Communist Party.
Kwack said he failed to take his wife to South Korea after their marriage in May
last year, and has been separated from her for more (than) a year because China
refused to issue a passport for his jailed wife for being a follower of the
banned spiritual movement.
"I asked the government to ensure my wife is released and comes to South
Korea," Kwack said.
The couple registered their marriage with Chinese authorities last year, but
failed to perform a similar procedure with South Korean authorities, a process
required for ethnic Koreans to be given South Korean nationality.
Source: Yonhap news agency, Seoul, in English
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