South Korea will press China to verify claims by a Seoul activist that he was severely tortured while in detention in China as the two sides hold regular talks on consular affairs this week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Kim Young-hwan, 49, and three other South Korean activists were released in July after 114 days of detention in China. Since the release, Kim has claimed in Seoul that he had been tortured by Chinese investigators with beatings and electric shocks.

The case is expected to loom large as South Korea and China are scheduled to hold talks in Beijing on consular affairs, which would be the first such meeting since Kim was released, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young. (Yonhap News)