Is he a terrorist or devoted pro-democracy fighter for Vietnam?

He is hailed by supporters as a pro-democracy leader determined to free Vietnam from communism, but Hanoi has long stigmatized him as a terrorist and is now demanding his extradition. His fate lies in the hands of South Korea.

Chanh Huu Nguyen, 57, who moved to the U.S. after escaping from a Vietnamese prison in 1982, was arrested at a Seoul hotel on April 5 by South Korean officials acting on a Vietnamese request.

South Korea has an extradition treaty with Vietnam.

A Seoul court is expected to issue its final ruling on the case this week. If he is deported to Vietnam, he is certain to face harsh punishment there, possibly the death penalty.

"Deporting a devoted pro-democracy fighter like Nguyen to Vietnam would tremendously hurt the Vietnamese people's eager hope for democracy." Kwon Yong-seok, Nguyen's South Korean attorney, said. "We believe the court will reach a wise decision."

Hanoi holds Nguyen responsible for a series of failed attempts to bomb the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2001 and various state facilities in Vietnam, including a prominent statue of Vietnam's founding leader Ho Chi Minh, between 1999 and 2000.

Vietnam claims in documents presented to the South Korean court that other Vietnamese involved in the alleged plots have testified against Nguyen, said Kim Seong-eun, the main South Korean prosecutor handling the case.

"We detained him on the basis of incriminating proof presented by Vietnam," he said.

During the final South Korean court hearing on July 13, Nguyen denied all charges filed by the Hanoi government against him, saying that "all evidence and testimonies against me were fabricated," according to his South Korean lawyer, Kwon.

In the U.S., Ngyyen founded a Vietnamese government-in-exile, called the Government of Free Vietnam, in Los Angeles and began a campaign to democratize his homeland. After once heading the government-in-exile, he now serves as secretary-general of its political organ, the Vietnam National Party.

Ngyyen's wife and four sons are U.S. citizens but Nguyen lives in the U.S. as a permanent resident, meaning that legally he is a Vietnamese national, according to the South Korean prosecutor, Kim.

The reason for Nguyen's South Korean trip has not been fully revealed but his government-in-exile claims that he was on "a trip representing the U.S. International Mission to Fight Human Trafficking," a cause he was said to have founded.

Media reports in Seoul said that his trip to South Korea was believed to be aimed at raising funds for his campaign against Vietnam's communist regime.

South Korea fought alongside the U.S. in the Vietnam War, but Seoul-Hanoi relations have warmed considerably in recent years.

Now, South Korea is one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam.

South Korea is under increasing Vietnamese pressure to extradite Nguyen as a terrorist. Vietnam has so far extradited 10 South Koreans staying in its territory and is now asking Seoul to reciprocate.

Nguyen's fate depends largely on how the South Korean court sees the nature of alleged crimes committed by him. Korean law bars the deportation of a foreigner for political reasons.

Supporters claim that Nguyen's case falls exactly in this category.

Supporters cite as an example the highly publicized political gesture former U.S. President Bill Clinton made by meeting Nguyen at the White House before making a trip to Hanoi in 2000.

South Korean law, however, stipulates that no matter what his or her political convictions, a foreigner should be extradited for punishment if a crime he has committed threatened a number of human lives.

Vietnam sent four state investigators to South Korea, one of whom was allowed to testify in court against Nguyen.

The three-judge Korean panel also has one more factor to consider: whether the domestic law carries more weight than the international treaty South Korea has signed with Vietnam.

On June 4, some 7,000 supporters rallied in Los Angeles to call for Nguyen's release, according to supporters. More rallies are expected, they say.

Seoul, July 26 (Yonhap News)