Former U.S. Ambassador Morse Tan Faces South Korea Defamation Trial over U.S. Speech

A former U.S. ambassador has been indicted in South Korea for allegedly defaming Korean President Lee Jae Myung in a 2025 speech given on American soil.

Morse Tan, who served as the U.S Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice during the first Trump administration, has been prevented from leaving South Korea for purported defamation against Lee, despite the fact that the speech was uttered in the United States and protected under the First Amendment.

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Abigail Anthony

Abigail Anthony is a staff writer at National Review.

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A former U.S. ambassador has been indicted in South Korea for allegedly defaming Korean President Lee Jae Myung in a 2025 speech given on American soil.

Morse Tan, who served as the U.S Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice during the first Trump administration, has been prevented from leaving South Korea for purported defamation against Lee, despite the fact that the speech was uttered in the United States and protected under the First Amendment.