Prosecutors reject far-right claims that President Lee Jae Myung spent time at juvenile detention center
An indictment against Morse Tan says prosecutors, after investigating official records, concluded allegations that Lee Jae Myung was sent to juvenile detention as a teenager were false.
Morse Tan looks on during a press conference at Olympic Park in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on June 24.
YONHAP
Prosecutors concluded that claims alleging President Lee Jae Myung was sent to a juvenile detention center as a teenager were false.
An indictment filed by prosecutors against Morse Tan stated that President Lee "had not been involved in a gang rape case and sent to a juvenile detention center" nor had he "been prevented from attending middle or high school due to such a criminal record," according to legal circles on Wednesday. Tan, a Korean American and former professor at Liberty University, was indicted without detention on Thursday on defamation charges for spreading claims about Lee.
Some far-right groups have claimed that Lee hid his alleged involvement in a serious crime as a teenager by taking advantage of the fact that juvenile detention records are not publicly disclosed except for judicial or investigative purposes. However, prosecutors who officially checked the records for investigative purposes concluded that the claims were false.
Tan had also spread such claims about Lee made by far-right YouTubers. During a press conference held in Washington last year, he said, “There are reports and rumors that President Lee was involved in a gang rape and murder case as a teenager and was sent to a juvenile detention center." A complaint was filed against Tan on charges including defamation over the remarks.
Police initially dismissed the complaint, saying Korean investigative authorities lacked jurisdiction because Tan, a foreign national, allegedly committed the offense abroad. But prosecutors requested a reinvestigation, citing the fact that Lee is in Korea.
Tan entered Korea in May but failed to respond to police summonses. Police then barred him from leaving the country and questioned him in a closed-door session before referring the case to prosecutors on July 1. He filed two requests with the court to suspend the travel ban but both were rejected.
Tan had closely aligned himself with far-right groups, including by participating in rallies alleging election fraud in Korea. In July last year, he attempted to visit former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was being held at a detention center. He also visited Olympic Park in Songpa District, southern Seoul — where a protest about ballot shortages for the June 3 local elections are held — and claimed that China was behind alleged election fraud.
In 2022, a woman was fined 5 million won ($3,400) for spreading claims in a group chat that Lee had been sent to a juvenile detention center. She was convicted of violating the Public Official Election Act by making false statements ahead of the 21st presidential election, which Lee ran in.
BY KIM SEONG-JIN [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
