SEOUL: South Korea on Friday denied entry to a Greenpeace activist intending to join a campaign against nuclear power and was to deport him later in the day.
Greenpeace said Gavin Edwards was stopped by immigration officials at the main Incheon international airport west of Seoul.
He had planned to lead a "Hope Energy" tour aboard Greenpeace's ship the Esperanza to promote a campaign against nuclear energy in South Korea, it said.
"His entry was denied at the request of security authorities because his activities here may hurt our national interests," an immigration official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The official said Edwards would be deported later Friday. On April 2 South Korea deported two Greenpeace activists for similar reasons.
"The Korean government has decided to throw money away on dangerous nuclear energy and deal with criticism of this by blocking anyone who does not support its view," Edwards said in a statement released by Greenpeace.
"This simply does not match its long-established democratic tradition."
South Korea relies on 20 nuclear reactors to meet about 35 percent of its electricity needs. The government has vowed to stick to the nuclear programme despite heightened concern following Japan's atomic disaster last year.
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