Former U.S. diplomat Morse Tan appeared Friday at Seoul Central District Court and pleaded not guilty to charges of defaming South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. Tan told Fox News Digital he disputes the allegations and the court’s jurisdiction over his statements.
The case stems in part from a June 2025 event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event concerned allegations of fraud in South Korea’s June 3 presidential election. In response to a question, Tan referred to claims that Lee had been involved in serious crimes as a teenager and had spent time in juvenile detention. Tan also said Lee had not completed middle or high school.
South Korean media reports cited in the source material describe prosecutors as rejecting those allegations. The Korea JoongAng Daily reported that prosecutors said Lee had not been prevented from attending school because of a criminal record. KBS World reported that authorities found no record of Lee’s incarceration in a juvenile detention center and considered the detention rumors false.
Tan faces charges under South Korea’s Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection and its Criminal Act. The source material also describes a second charge connected to a July 2025 talk Tan gave in South Korea, where he says he raised questions about the president. Tan has been in South Korea since May and, according to the report, has not been permitted to leave while the case is pending. A conviction could carry a prison sentence under South Korean law.
Tan’s attorney, as quoted by Asia Business Daily, argued that even if South Korean courts have jurisdiction, the statements were not false, Tan did not know they were false, and he did not intend to defame Lee. Tan has characterized the prosecution as political persecution and said his due-process rights have been violated. Those are Tan’s claims, not findings established in the supplied material.
A spokesperson for South Korea’s Embassy in Washington told Fox News Digital that the case is being handled under relevant laws, established principles and due process. The spokesperson also said the restriction on Tan’s departure is imposed and reviewed accordingly. A U.S. State Department spokesperson declined to discuss the case’s specifics, saying the administration prioritizes Americans’ safety and security and citing privacy and other considerations.
Tan also criticized the lack of public comment from U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Michelle Steel. He alleges that South Korean authorities barred him from attending his grandmother’s funeral, while allowing prisoners to attend family funerals. The supplied material does not provide an official response to that allegation.
The case’s reported procedural history includes a police decision not to refer it to prosecutors, followed by a reinvestigation requested by prosecutors, according to KBS World. National Review Online separately reported that a Seoul police cyber unit dismissed a complaint concerning Tan’s statements in April 2026, citing a lack of grounds to prosecute. The supplied account does not explain how those earlier actions relate to the charges now before the court.
Tan has linked the case to his criticism of Lee’s policy toward North Korea and has made broader accusations about the South Korean government’s political alignment. Those assertions remain his own account. The available information establishes that Tan is facing charges and contests them, while South Korean authorities maintain that the proceedings and travel restriction follow domestic law; it does not resolve the truth of the underlying allegations about Lee or the legal dispute over jurisdiction.
