South Korean prosecutors indict Korean-American professor Morse Tan on criminal defamation charges over allegedly false claims about President Lee Jae Myung. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office reportedly files the charges Thursday and does so without detention. Tan, who previously served as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice during the first Donald Trump administration, is accused of making the allegations during a press conference in Washington, D.C., last year.
According to reports, the allegations include claims that Lee was involved in a gang rape and murder of a girl when he was a juvenile and that he was sent to a juvenile detention center. A civic group’s complaint triggers an initial police investigation, but it is later closed in April without being referred to prosecutors. Police reportedly conclude they lack jurisdiction because Tan is a foreign national and the statements were made in the United States.
Prosecutors then seek to reopen the case, arguing that South Korean authorities have jurisdiction because the alleged victim is President Lee. The case centers on whether Tan’s statements constitute defamation under South Korean criminal law.
