Seoul: Police have opened an investigation into a Korean American professor for possible defamation charges after he allegedly made damaging comments about President Lee Jae Myung with false information, officials said Tuesday. The investigation against Morse Tan, dean of Liberty University School of Law, came after a conservative civic group filed a complaint accusing Tan of defaming Lee by spreading false information about him.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the allegations stem from comments Tan made during a June event in Washington, where he claimed that President Lee had been involved in a gang rape and murder during his youth and was subsequently sent to a juvenile detention center. The civic group contesting Tan's remarks stated these claims are unfounded.

Tan, who served as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice under the first Donald Trump administration, is known for promoting conspiracy theories regarding election fraud in South Korea. The civic group also noted that Tan alleged the June 3 snap election, won by Lee, was rigged.

Tan has been vocal in his support for former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law, which led to Yoon's removal from office in April. While visiting Seoul this week, Tan was initially scheduled to deliver a lecture at Seoul National University (SNU), organized by a far-right group of conservative Christian university students. However, SNU rescinded permission for the event, prompting the students to relocate the speech to the area outside the main gate, where Tan continued his defense of Yoon's martial law.

In response to Tan's visit, another student group staged a protest, accusing him of undermining South Korea's democratic order and damaging the president's reputation. The group criticized Tan for allegedly exploiting the South Korea-U.S. alliance for far-right political purposes.