A South Korean activist who claimed have been tortured by Chinese authorities while under detention is considering bringing his case to the International Criminal Court, his close aides said Sunday.

Kim Young-hwan and three other activists trying to help North Korean refugees in China were arrested in late March and accused of endangering Beijing’s national security. After being deported to South Korea last week, Kim said he was physically abused and criticized the Seoul government for taking a cautious approach to his claims.

“What we can do is file a petition with the International Criminal Court about China’s torture of Kim,” said a Korean activist who worked for a civilian committee calling for Kim’s release. “We also have to think about lawsuits in China.”

Beijing denies the allegation of torture.

The official said Kim does not want diplomatic conflict between South Korea and China nor wants to put China in trouble in the international society over the matter, but is considering the petition as a way to stop torture in the Asian giant. (Yonhap News)