Former Liberty University professor indicted for defaming President Lee Jae-myung

Mos Tan, a former professor at Liberty University in the United States, has been indicted on charges of defaming President Lee Jae-myung.

The First Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office, led by chief prosecutor Lee Ju-hee, indicted Tan without detention in mid-July on charges including defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

Tan is accused of making statements at press conferences and other events held in the United States last year claiming that President Lee had been confined to a juvenile detention facility in connection with a sexual assault and a murder case during his childhood.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's cyber investigation unit received a complaint against Tan in July last year but dismissed the case on the grounds that it involved a crime committed by a foreigner on foreign soil. Prosecutors then asked police to reopen the investigation, citing the fact that Lee, the victim, is based in South Korea.

A travel ban imposed on Tan, which had been set to expire July 31, has been extended through Aug. 15.