Korea to press China to verify torture claims by activist

Korea will press China to verify claims by a Seoul activist that he was severely tortured while in detention in China as the two sides hold regular talks on consular affairs this week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Kim Young-hwan, 49, and three other South Korean activists were released in July after 114 days of detention in China. Since the release, Kim has claimed in Seoul that he had been tortured by Chinese investigators with beatings and electric shocks.

The case is expected to loom large as South Korea and China are scheduled to hold talks in Beijing on consular affairs, which would be the first such meeting since Kim was released, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young.

"I understand that our side will request China verify the claims by Kim after explaining about results of Kim's medical checkup to the Chinese side during the talks," Cho said.

After an extensive medical checkup on Kim last month, doctors at Seoul National University Hospital said they could not find any physical evidence of torture on his body.

But, they said any signs of torture might have disappeared over the long time that had passed. Kim was also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. (Yonhap)