Civic group says Israeli forces seize aid flotilla carrying South Korean activist

Seoul: Israeli forces have seized a humanitarian aid flotilla carrying a South Korean activist headed for the Gaza Strip, a civic group said Tuesday.

According to the group advocating for Palestinian liberation, the Kyriakos X boat carrying activist Kim Dong-hyeon was intercepted late Monday (Seoul time) by the Israeli Navy near Cyprus.

Kim is now presumably detained aboard an Israeli warship along with other activists from around the world, the group said, IANS reported.

Kim departed for Gaza earlier this month despite a government travel ban on the territory.

Before him, another activist, Kim Ah-hyun, headed for Gaza despite the government's revocation of her passport over an earlier attempt in October to enter the territory without authorisation.

At the time, she was detained by Israeli forces and later released.

The civic group said the boat she is travelling on is near the Kyriakos X and at risk of also being seized.

South Koreans are barred from travelling to or staying in the Gaza Strip without government approval, and violators can face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won ($6,685) under the Passport Act.

The civic group later held a press conference in front of the Israeli Embassy in Seoul to demand the immediate release of the detained activist, Yonhap news agency reported.

The group also urged the South Korean government to make utmost efforts for his swift release, saying their campaign was a response to the international community's silence on Israel's "genocide" over more than two years.

The organisation’s livestream on Monday showed activists aboard several vessels putting on life jackets and raising their hands before a boat carrying Israeli troops approached. Wearing tactical gear, they boarded the ship, and the livestream abruptly ended. Many of the ships are currently off the coast of Cyprus.