No intervention in student deportation from S Korea: Chinese Embassy

The Chinese Embassy in South Korea said it will not intervene in the recent case involving a Chinese student being expelled from South Korea for offering staunch vocal support to North Korea.

"We have not received any call for assistance [on the matter]. We will not intervene in the case unless we are notified that [he] has received unfair treatment," a representative of the Chinese Embassy in South Korea told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Justice of South Korea confirmed Monday that a Chinese student From Guangdong Province, who was only identified by his surname Song, was deported in August from the country for violating the immigration law. He has been banned from re-entry into Korea for five years.

Song was accused of posting hundreds of comments online supporting the North Korean government before and during his stay in South Korea. He also allegedly participated in protests organized by liberal civic groups against the South Korean government since its president Park Geun-hye took office in February 2013, the Korea Times reported.

This was the first time an international student had been deported from South Korea on such charges.

Hundreds of banners and other promotional materials in opposition to the Park Geun-hye government were found when investigators raided Song's accommodation in Seoul. Song had also reportedly branded himself a "liberal netizen" and claimed that he admires North Korea's late leaders on his Facebook page.

The Ministry of Justice of South Korea originally intended to charge Song with violations of the national security law, but he was later deported due to violations of the immigration law.

"The current charge is a less severe accusation compared with the national security law. This shows the South Korean government does not want the case to cause any damage to its relations with China," Cai Jian, a professor from Fudan University, told the Global Times.