Morse Tan Pleads Not Guilty to 2 South Korea Defamation Charges, Faces Prison

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 17

Seoul Central District Court heard Morse Tan’s not-guilty plea Friday after prosecutors charged the former U.S. diplomat over remarks alleging President Lee Jae Myung committed violent crimes as a teenager.
Since May, Tan has been barred from leaving South Korea while the case proceeds; he argues the court lacks jurisdiction because the key June 2025 comments were made at Washington’s National Press Club.
South Korean prosecutors say the allegations against Lee are false and unsubstantiated, and local reports said authorities previously found no record of juvenile detention or school exclusion tied to such crimes.
Tan calls the case criminal defamation over protected speech and political retaliation, while South Korea’s embassy says the matter is being handled under domestic law and due process.
The case has become a test of South Korea’s criminal-defamation regime for a U.S. citizen abroad, with Tan potentially facing prison if convicted.