Seoul: A Seoul court on Thursday rejected a request for a suspension of an exit ban against Morse Tan, a Korean American scholar accused of defaming President Lee Jae Myung, legal sources said. The Seoul Administrative Court's decision underscores the seriousness with which South Korean authorities are treating the allegations against Tan.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the court declined Tan's request to suspend the exit ban imposed by the justice ministry earlier this week, citing potential significant impacts on public interest. Tan stands accused of defaming President Lee by spreading false information, including claims made at a Washington event last year that implicated Lee in a murder case during his youth and alleged he was sent to a juvenile detention center.

Tan, who is affiliated with the U.S.-based Liberty University, has also made claims of election fraud in South Korea, notably alleging that the country's last presidential election was rigged. His return to South Korea last Thursday, ahead of the June 3 local elections, was intended to monitor and verify potential election fraud, adding complexity to the ongoing police investigation into the defamation allegations.

On Monday, police requested the justice ministry to approve an exit ban for Tan, labeling him a flight risk after he failed to comply with a previous summons. This led Tan, who previously served as U.S. ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice during the first Donald Trump administration, to file for the suspension of the exit ban and a separate lawsuit seeking its cancellation.