Former US ambassador says South Korea prosecuted him over speech made on American soil

Former US diplomat Morse Tan appeared in a Seoul court on charges of defaming South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, over remarks Tan made at a Washington event in June 2025. The case matters because it has prevented Tan from leaving South Korea since he arrived in May, and raises a dispute over the reach of South Korean law and the protection of speech made in the United States.

Tan referred to allegations about Lee’s teenage years, which South Korean prosecutors say are unsubstantiated; reports cited by the article say there is no record Lee was held in juvenile detention. Tan pleaded not guilty, arguing the remarks were not knowingly false and that South Korea lacks jurisdiction over them. South Korea’s embassy says the case and travel restriction follow its laws and due process, while the US State Department declined to comment on the specifics.