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