Prosecution Requests Police to Reinvestigate Moss Tan Over President Lee's Alleged Juvenile Detention Claims

Police: "Remarks Made in the U.S." Leads to Case Dismissal
Prosecution: "Crime Scene Includes Where the Consequences Occurred"

The prosecution has requested that the police reopen the investigation into Moss Tan (Korean name: Dan Hyunmyung), a professor at Liberty University in the United States, who raised allegations that President Lee Jaemyung was detained in a juvenile detention center in the U.S.

According to legal sources on May 13, the Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Shin Douk) requested the police the previous day to reinvestigate Professor Tan, who is accused of defamation by spreading false information.

Professor Tan is accused of publicly stating false information at a press conference held in June last year at the National Press Building in Washington, D.C., claiming, "President Lee was involved in the murder of a girl during his youth, was detained in a juvenile facility, and was therefore unable to attend middle and high school."

The police started an investigation after receiving a complaint from the civic group Jayu Daehan Hogukdan, but decided not to refer the case for prosecution on April 9, dismissing the part relating to remarks made in the United States. The police concluded there was no jurisdiction, as Professor Tan is a foreign national and the remarks in question were made in the U.S.

However, the prosecution determined that an investigation is possible because President Lee, the victim of the alleged defamation, resides in Korea. They reasoned that the location of the crime includes not only where the act took place but also where the consequences occurred.

Additionally, the fact that Jayu Daehan Hogukdan did not cooperate with the investigation was cited as a reason for the police not to refer the case. However, the prosecution argued that the police had already initiated their own investigation into the remarks and could proceed without interviewing the complainant.

Professor Tan, who served as the U.S. State Department's Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice during the first Trump administration, has repeatedly promoted conspiracy theories, including claims of election fraud in Korea.