Mos Tan (Korean name Dan Hyun-myeong), a professor at Liberty University in the United States who is accused of spreading false information about President Lee Jae-myung, did not appear for a police questioning.
The Cyber Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sought to summon Tan for questioning at 10 a.m. on the 24th on charges including defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, but it fell through after Tan's side requested a change of appearance date.
Tan's legal team said, "Police violated the promised personal information protection measures," and added, "We unavoidably request to renegotiate the appearance date." It appears they took issue with reporters and civic groups gathering in front of the government complex ahead of Tan's scheduled appearance that day.
Tan was accused of announcing false information at a news conference in Washington in the United States last year, including the claim that "President Lee was involved in a murder case as a teenager and was sent to a juvenile detention center."
Police demanded Tan appear after he entered Korea on the 28th of last month, but when he did not comply, they asked the Ministry of Justice to impose a travel ban. As a result, Tan is currently barred from leaving the country until the 30th.
Tan is expected to visit the Olympic Park Handball Arena in Seoul (Songpa District ballot-counting site) at about 8 p.m. today, where protests continue over a ballot paper shortage.