Morse Tan (Korean name Dan Hyeon-myeong), a professor at Liberty University in the United States who was placed under a travel ban by the Ministry of Justice on suspicion of defaming President Lee Jae-myung, filed for an injunction to suspend the ban, arguing the measure was unjust, but the court did not accept it.
The Seoul Administrative Court, Single-Judge Panel No. 1 (presiding judge Wi Ji-hyeon), said on the 4th that it dismissed on the 4th the application for a stay of execution of the travel ban that Tan filed against the state on the 1st.
The court determined that granting the stay would likely significantly harm the public interest because it would make it difficult for police to investigate Tan.
Tan served as the ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice at the U.S. State Department during the first Trump administration. He spread conspiracy theories last year at a news conference and roundtables, including that "China intervened in Korea's fraudulent elections" and that "President Lee Jae-myung entered a juvenile detention center as a child." Police booked Tan on defamation charges in July last year.
Police summoned Tan after he entered the country on the 28th, ahead of the 6·3 local elections, saying he would monitor and verify "election fraud." When Tan submitted a written statement explaining his absence, police requested a travel ban from the Ministry of Justice. Tan then filed a cancellation suit and an application for a stay of execution. When prohibiting a foreigner from leaving the country, the term used is travel ban.
The court found that because Tan is employed as a university professor in the United States, he could suffer irreparable harm due to the travel ban. However, it said that if Tan moves to a place beyond Korea's jurisdiction, police would be unable to complete the investigation into the defamation charges he faces.
The court said, "Investigations premised on a travel ban should not be needlessly prolonged," adding, "Even considering the applicant Tan's harm or disadvantages, it is appropriate to prioritize the public interest sought by maintaining the effect of the (travel ban) disposition."