Former US Diplomat Charged With Defamation Over Old Allegations Against Seoul Leader

A former American diplomat stood before a court in Seoul on Friday, facing defamation charges against President Lee Jae Myung for words spoken while on U.S. soil. Those remarks have left Morse Tan stranded in South Korea. His troubles started back in June 2025 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. During a talk there, he answered a question by bringing up old allegations that the South Korean leader committed a crime as an adolescent.

Since crossing into the country in May, Tan has been unable to board a plane home. Prosecutors charged him under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection and the Criminal Act. The specific event where he made his comments was titled "Report on Election Fraud in the June 3 South Korean Presidential election." Responding to an inquiry about President Lee, Tan cited claims from several years prior that Lee took part in a gang rape and murder when he was a teenager. He noted that Lee is now 62 and argued the former leader was sent to juvenile detention and never finished junior high or high school.

South Korean prosecutors insist these criminal allegations against Lee lack proof, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. The outlet reported they stated Lee had not been barred from attending middle or high school because of any such record. KBS World added that investigators previously verified no incarceration existed and concluded rumors about a juvenile detention stay were false. Asia Business Daily noted Tan's lawyer claimed, "Even if jurisdiction is recognized, the statements did not present false information, and Tan was not aware that they were false," adding he had no intention to defame.

At his hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on Friday, Tan told Fox News Digital he pleaded not guilty because he believes Lee Jae Myung is guilty. Morse Tan teaches constitutional law and served as dean of Liberty University's law school. He told Fox News Digital his speech was protected beyond any reasonable doubt. He argued South Korea invoked criminal defamation, a dubious category which does not exist in the U.S., to prosecute him.

A spokesperson for the South Korean Embassy in Washington said the case follows relevant laws and regulations established principles and due process. The restriction on departure is imposed and reviewed accordingly. Tan expressed disappointment that U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel has not publicly commented on his legal case. Both Steel and Tan are Korean-Americans. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on specifics.

"The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans," the spokesperson said when asked about the situation. Due to privacy and other considerations, they had nothing further to share at this time. Tan insists the charges violate his due process rights and South Korea lacks jurisdiction to bring them. He added the second charge involves a July 2025 talk in South Korea where he raised some issues as questions involving the president. This is political lawfare.

This is a persecution, not a prosecution," he said. The message comes loud and clear: Donald Trump needs to press Xi Jinping hard on the systematic mistreatment of believers both inside China and overseas. That stance matters now more than ever.

Tan believes the drive to criminalize his free speech stems from how the South Korean government sees him, a threat, an outspoken critic of Lee's alleged appeasement policy toward the North Korean communist regime. "People consider me to be leading a movement against the communizing of South Korea," Tan said. He accuses the current administration of standing side-by-side with North Korean and Chinese communist regimes, all while turning their backs on the U.S. and the Korean people.

Look at the double standards. Tan points to bias running deep within South Korean authorities. They barred him from attending his grandmother's funeral yet allowed prisoners there to see their own family members say goodbye. That kind of inconsistency smells foul.

KBS World reported that police, who had initially decided not to hand over Tan's case to the prosecution, launched a reinvestigation at the request of prosecutors themselves. National Review Online also reported that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Cyber dismissed a complaint about Tan's alleged defamatory statements in April 2026, declaring there was "no right to prosecute." According to South Korean law, if found guilty, Tan could face prison time. The clock is ticking.