Moshe Tan (left), former Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, and Lee Jae-myung's youth [Photo = Yonhap News]

Gene Cummings, an American political columnist, commented on the Ministry of Justice's travel ban on Moshe Tan (Korean name: Dan Hyun-myung), former Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice (currently a professor at Liberty University in the US), on the 3rd.

Cummings stated, "Professor Moshtan is currently in the suspect stage, not even indicted," and emphasized, "MBC's reporting, treating him like a 'conspiracy theorist,' 'agitator,' and even a 'criminal,' is an act by the media to pre-emptively conclude an issue that the court has not yet judged." 

He argued that this is not mere sensational reporting but an illegal act of spreading false information. In particular, he vehemently criticized the phrase "You can't leave as you please" as political blackmail rather than reporting. 

He criticized the public broadcasting system for using language that seemingly threatens the freedom of movement of an individual who has not yet been convicted, calling it a clear violation of human rights.

Furthermore, he criticized, "The investigation into election fraud is a democratic process of systematically reviewing suspicions, procedural issues, and evidence that arose during the election process, and should thus be encouraged and protected. However, MBC is framing this process as a 'rigged election conspiracy theory.'"

In other words, it is a typical form of "agitation" where a conclusion is predetermined without concrete evidence, and contradictory facts are ignored or distorted.

So, who is ultimately spreading the real "conspiracy theory"? Gene Cummings pointed out, "The act of labeling those who raise suspicions and demand investigations as 'conspiracy theorists' is itself an attempt to conceal facts and manipulate public opinion." He added, "This low-quality and biased conduct of the Korean media will ultimately only further reveal the ugly nature of the Lee Jae-myung administration."

He questioned, "Can the media and the Lee Jae-myung administration, who are labeling Professor Moshtan a conspiracy theorist, convict Professor Moshtan based on their own standards?"

If they cannot, then this is merely an attack on a former senior US public official with false information and political labeling. He concluded that they will ultimately be unable to evade the political and diplomatic responsibility for this, and urged, "I hope the prosecution, Lee Jae-myung, and the media can clearly prove that Moshtan's statements are false this time."

Cummings' pointed remark is that if they cannot, then Moshtan's claims will be recognized as fact.

Ambassador Tan, who served as the US Department of State's Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice during the first Trump administration, was accused of defamation for his remarks suggesting that Lee Jae-myung was involved in a murder case as a juvenile and was imprisoned in a juvenile detention center. Ambassador Moshtan entered Korea on the 28th of last month to monitor election fraud but was banned from leaving the country by the prosecution on grounds of flight risk. 

Ambassador Tan is currently requesting the court to cancel the travel ban. The hearing for the travel ban cancellation lawsuit is scheduled for the 10th.

Meanwhile, as Ambassador Tan reduced his external activities, such as sending his legal representatives instead of attending the hearing on the 2nd, some speculated that he might have taken refuge in the US military base in Osan.

However, his whereabouts were confirmed on the 3rd as he visited 'Camp Humphreys' in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, along with a group including Dr. Douglas Frank and Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Freedom and Innovation Party, thus confirming that the rumor of taking refuge in a US military base was groundless.

Reporter Im Yo-hee