Professor skips Lee defamation questioning

A Korean American professor accused of defaming President Lee Jae Myung did not appear for a scheduled police questioning session Wednesday, citing his wish to be protected from media exposure.

Morse Tan, a professor at U.S.-based Liberty University, was due to undergo questioning over defamation allegations at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency at 10 a.m.

His lawyers released a notice to the press at 10:20 a.m., however, saying they are asking for the session to be rescheduled due to the police agency's own "violation" of its promise to take "personal information protection measures."

Tan had reportedly asked to appear without media exposure, but the exterior of the police agency was already crowded with journalists, supporters and civic groups calling for his arrest, before his scheduled attendance.

"The responsibility for the nonexecution of the personal information protection measures lies with the agency," the lawyers said.

Tan made claims at a press conference in the United States last year that Lee was involved in murder as a teenager and had been sent to a juvenile detention center for the crime.

The Justice Ministry has banned him from leaving the country over his failure to comply with an earlier police summons.

Yonhap