A dissident who mocked Xi Jinping online fled China on a jet ski, crossing 180 miles of sea to reach South Korea

• A Chinese activist embarked on a 180 mile+ journey across the sea to flee China.
• He used a jet ski and a compass to get to the South Korean city of Incheon, per AFP.

A critic of Chinese leader Xi Jinping managed to flee the country, traveling more than 180 miles to South Korea on a jet ski, according to the Agence France-Presse.

The man crossed the Yellow Sea, which is located between mainland China and the Korean peninsula, on a 1,800cc jet ski, AFP reported.

He left from Shandong province in eastern China, using binoculars and a compass to chart his course to South Korea, the news agency said.

The man has been identified as Kwon Pyong, a Chinese activist who had spent time in prison for subversion after posting photos mocking Xi on social media, said Lee Dae-seon of the Dialogue China NGO, per AFP.

On his journey, Kwon towed five barrels of fuel with him, AFP said.

"He refilled the petrol on the ride and dumped the empty barrels into the sea," said the Korea Coast Guard on Tuesday, according to AFP.

The Korea Coast Guard said in a news release that the man, whom it did not identify, became stranded on tidal flats near a cruise terminal in Incheon last Wednesday night.

It said that the man called emergency services to request a rescue. The Coast Guard added that the military had already notified it of the vessel entering South Korean waters before the call was made.

The Korea Coast Guard rescued the man and arrested him on charges of "attempting to smuggle himself into" Incheon, but said there was no evidence to suggest he was a spy, AFP reported.

Kwon is now considering whether to apply for refugee status in South Korea, which only grants asylum to only a limited number of refugees each year. Alternatively, he could go to a third country, said Lee of the Dialogue China NGO, per AFP.

"While his 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," Lee told the news agency.

The Incheon Korea Coast Guard Station was unable to be reached for comment because it was outside of office hours.