Congressional Republicans urge South Korea to lift exit ban on fmr. US Amb. Morse Tan: 'Remarkably unfair'

Tan's exit ban reportedly extended until November

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, August 20, 2026

Members of Congress recently sent a letter to South Korea's ambassador in Washington expressing concern that former U.S. Ambassador Morse H. Tan has been barred from leaving the country after allegedly defaming its president while on American soil.

"I am deeply concerned by the South Korean government's continued exit ban on former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Morse Tan [and] urge for his release. The U.S.-ROK relationship is built on more than 70 years of mutual trust [and] respect, [and] we cannot allow this issue to overshadow our enduring alliance," Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., who chairs the U.S. House Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, wrote in a Wednesday X post.

Kim's post came days after former South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn claimed that Tan's most recent exit ban, which was reportedly set to expire on Aug. 15, had been extended for an additional three months as he awaits his first trial hearing on Sept. 11 for alleged criminal defamation.

"This is absurd. What on earth is there to do that requires three months? The Lee Jae-myung administration will certainly pay a heavy price for this," Hwang wrote in Korean.

Tan, who potentially faces prison time, has been repeatedly prohibited from leaving South Korea since first arriving there on May 28 to observe local elections amid allegations of irregularities and Chinese interference.

I am deeply concerned by the South Korean government's continued exit ban on former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Morse Tan & urge for his release.

The U.S.-ROK relationship is built on more than 70 years of mutual trust & respect, & we cannot allow this issue to overshadow our…

— Young Kim (@RepYoungKim) August 19, 2026

Kim linked to an Aug. 13 letter to South Korean Ambassador Kang Kyung-hwa, which she signed along with Reps. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J. and Brian Mast, R-Fla., who also serves as chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The letter briefly laid out Tan's situation, describing him as "an American citizen unable to return home" while noting his service as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice from 2019 to 2021.

"Ambassador Tan came to the ROK [Republic of Korea] in late May as part of a privately organized effort to monitor the country's June elections. After arriving in the ROK, Tan faced remarkably unfair treatment from the ROK government over statements he made while in the United States. Ambassador Tan was banned from leaving the country, and last month he was indicted for alleged defamation of the ROK President [Lee Jae Myung]. Ambassador Tan now awaits trial," the letter said in part.

"This treatment raises serious concerns about freedom of expression and due process. The case regards statements Ambassador Tan made as a private American citizen while in the United States. Mr. Tan's First Amendment rights as an American citizen must be respected," the members continued, adding that the U.S.-Korean alliance includes "a shared commitment to representative government, individual liberty, freedom of expression, and the rule of law."

Noting a congressional delegation met with Tan last month to confirm that he "remains in good health and positive spirits," the members urged South Korea to "lift the exit ban on Ambassador Tan to let him return home."

Tan, who spoke to The Christian Post in a phone interview earlier this month and subsequently appeared twice on Stephen K. Bannon's "War Room" podcast, faces charges that stem from allegedly defamatory remarks he made against South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during an event about Korean election integrity last year at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. 

A clip went viral on social media of Tan noting at the event that there have been rumors and reports that Lee was involved in gang-raping and murdering a young lady when he was a teenager, and was consequently not able to attend junior high and high school after being put in juvenile detention.

Morse H. Tan: Three successive travel bans have been imposed on me because I have been leading the counterrevolutionary movement against the communizing coup d’état and the subsequent purge currently happening in South Korea. @MorseHTanpic.twitter.com/7474fTeNcR

— Bannon’s WarRoom (@Bannons_WarRoom) August 6, 2026

During his recent interview with CP, Tan remained skeptical of the courts and fact-checks that have dismissed the allegations he repeated against Lee, though he framed his situation as a broader violation of his rights as a U.S. citizen amid the erosion of rights in South Korea. He has been an outspoken critic of the current Korean government, which he called "a rising dictatorship," and has alleged that the country is increasingly subject to communist infiltration.

Tan did not respond to CP's request for comment regarding an update to his situation.

In a statement to CP on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department reiterated its previous assertion that the Trump administration "has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans," and that it "takes seriously any concerns that U.S. citizens are subject to exit bans without a fair and transparent process to resolve them."

"Due to privacy and other considerations, we have nothing further to share at this time," it added.

Tan's ongoing exit ban comes amid heightened diplomatic strain between South Korea and the United States. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump abruptly scaled back annual joint military exercises with the country while expressing his frustration at their unwillingness to aid with the war in Iran.

South Korea's Information and Communications Network Act, under which Tan was charged, has raised concerns among some U.S. lawmakers. Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter earlier this month demanding answers from Korean officials regarding the scope of the law, which critics fear is being used to crack down on the constitutional free speech rights of American citizens and companies.