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Morse Tan, a professor at Liberty University in the United States, visits the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa District, Seoul, where a protest to blockade a ballot counting station is underway on the 24th. / Courtesy of Yonhap News

Morse Tan, a professor at Liberty University in the United States who is currently under investigation for allegedly defaming President Lee Jae-myung, failed to appear for police questioning. Instead, he held a press conference accusing the police of breaking their promise to allow a private attendance. Visiting the ongoing protest site to blockade the Jamsil ballot counting station near Olympic Park, Professor Tan went so far as to call for the President's resignation and the dissolution of the National Assembly.

The Cyber Crime Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had scheduled to question Tan as a suspect at 10:00 AM on the 24th. However, Tan failed to show up past the scheduled time. It is reported that Tan had previously conveyed his stance that he would not attend if there was even a single chance of his photograph being taken.

Tan's camp applied for a modification of the appearance date today, claiming that the police had promised privacy protection measures only to reverse their stance just before his arrival. "The agency violated the agreed privacy protection measures," Tan's camp stated, adding, "We will coordinate a new date under the premise that privacy measures are secured and will reappear for questioning."

Kim Ji-mi, the attorney representing Professor Tan, held a press conference in front of the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in Songpa District, Seoul, in the afternoon. "We requested guarantees for Professor Tan's safety, privacy protection, and the prevention of character defamation, and an agreement was reached with the police," Kim argued. "Initially, it was agreed that the vehicle carrying Professor Tan would enter the premises of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency so he could attend without any public exposure. However, twenty minutes before the appearance, we were notified that vehicle entry was barred and that he had to get out at the main gate. Deciding that we cannot cooperate with an investigative agency that does not keep its word, we chose not to attend."

Professor Tan also stated, "I am fully willing to undergo police investigation. However, while the police had originally agreed to provide accommodations for a private appearance today, they announced at the very last minute that they could not honor that commitment."

During the press conference, Tan went beyond addressing the investigation to voice political claims. "The President must bear ultimate responsibility for the rigged election," Tan said. "If he does not step down voluntarily, he must be removed through impeachment." He also called for the dissolution of the National Assembly, claiming, "Most of the lawmakers in the parliament are not the individuals you actually chose."

While expressing his desire to return to his family in the United States, Tan added, "For the time being, I intend to do what I can here in South Korea. As long as God permits, I will remain in the country."

In June last year, during a press conference held in Washington, D.C., Professor Tan was accused by a civic group of spreading false rumors that President Lee had been involved in violent crimes during his youth and confined in a juvenile detention center. The police initially closed the case without referral to the prosecution, citing that the remarks were made in the United States. However, the investigation resumed after the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office requested a re-investigation on the 12th of last month.

The police had demanded Tan's appearance after he entered South Korea on the 28th of last month under the pretext of verifying election fraud, but Tan's camp refused to comply, submitting requests to recuse the investigators alongside statements for non-attendance. Earlier this month, the police requested the Ministry of Justice to issue a departure ban against Tan. In response, Tan filed a lawsuit to cancel the departure ban alongside a stay of execution, but the court dismissed the stay. Tan has filed an immediate appeal against the ruling. The departure ban remains in effect until the 30th of this month.

Ahead of Tan's scheduled appearance today, the "Morse Tan Capture Squad," a coalition of progressive political parties and civic groups, held a press conference near the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, demanding his emergency arrest.

Meanwhile, in the Olympic Park area where Tan held his press conference, protests triggered by the shortage of ballot papers during the June 3 local elections entered their 20th consecutive day. That evening, regular demonstrators and conservative YouTubers gathered at the site, chanting slogans such as "Hold a re-election for the rigged vote" and "Hand-count the same-day ballots."

Although the scale of the protest has scaled down compared to its initial stage, the momentum persists as hardline conservative groups and high-profile figures continue to participate. Notable figures who have consistently alleged election fraud, including star history instructor Jeon Han-gil and Hwang Kyo-ahn, head of the Freedom and Innovation Party, made appearances at the site today.

As of 9:00 PM, real-time Seoul urban data indicated that between 14,000 and 16,000 people were gathered around Olympic Park. By age group, individuals in their 60s constituted the largest demographic at 25.4%.

                                                                                                         Seol So-young