Authorities in Taean, South Chuncheong Province examine the rubber boat Dong arrived in on Wednesday. (Yonhap) Dong Guangping, the Chinese dissident who arrived in South Korea on a rubber boat, is drawing attention nationwide, as some legal experts say he is unlikely to be immediately repatriated to China and speculate he may apply for refugee status.Dong was found on a rubber boat off the coast of Taean, South Chungcheong Province, on Tuesday, according to the Coast Guard. The 68-year-old former police officer and human rights activist has spent decades trying to flee China over his political activism,The activist was detained at the scene for illegally entering the country, and prosecutors sought an arrest warrant. However, the Seosan Branch of the Daejeon District Court dismissed the request Thursday, saying there was little concern that he would flee or destroy evidence.Dong signed a 1999 petition commemorating the Tiananmen Square protests and participated in a memorial event for the incident in 2014.Experts say Dong is unlikely to be immediately repatriated to China as he is currently under investigation.South Korea’s Immigration Act stipulates that those who illegally enter the country must be immediately deported, but deportations have rarely been expedited in practice for foreigners undergoing criminal investigations.Dong's lawyer Kim Joo-gwang, a human rights attorney with nonprofit public law organization Apil, floated the possibility of Dong applying for refugee status.If Dong applies for refugee status, legal experts say any decision to send him back to China would likely be put on hold under the UN Refugee Convention's principle of nonrefoulement, which prohibits returning people to a country where they may face persecution.Sheng Xue, a Chinese Canadian writer and activist assisting Dong, told The New York Times that he had modeled his latest escape attempt on the case of fellow Chinese dissident Quan Ping.Quan, who attempted to reach South Korea from China on a jet ski, was also not immediately deported. Korean authorities detained him on illegal entry charges, and he spent several months in custody before traveling to the United States in 2024 to apply for asylum.Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho told News1 on Saturday, when asked about plans for Dong, that the ministry would “carefully handle the case after reviewing the purpose of his illegal entry.”Some observers say the case could also develop into a diplomatic issue if China asserts jurisdiction over Dong and demands his repatriation.However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that they were "unaware of the specific situation."