Special counsel bars visits to ex-President Yoon until indictment

Yoon’s planned meeting with U.S. professor Morse Tan, known for claiming election fraud, canceled following visit ban

Morse Tan (left), former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, speaks in support of former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law during an even near Seoul National University in Seoul on July 15, 2025. /Yonhap

The special counsel investigating former President Yoon Suk-yeol on charges of insurrection and foreign aggression has barred all visits to him, except by family and legal counsel.

The team, led by special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk, on July 16 said that the restriction took effect on July 15 and will remain in place until Yoon is formally indicted. Yoon, currently in detention, had been scheduled to meet with former U.S. State Department official Morse Tan for about 10 minutes on July 16. The visit was requested by Tan, a Liberty University professor who previously sparked controversy by alleging election fraud during South Korea’s 21st presidential race. Tan arrived in South Korea on July 14 at the invitation of a conservative group and gave a lecture near the main gate of Seoul National University, where he defended Yoon’s alleged plan to declare martial law.

The special counsel team issued a third order to bring Yoon to the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office by 2 p.m. on July 16. “We wanted to minimize any obstacles to today’s summons,” a special counsel official said. “The visitation ban was imposed at the same time the order was sent to the detention center.” However, it remains unclear whether Yoon will comply. The special counsel previously attempted to bring him in twice by force, but both efforts failed as Yoon refused to cooperate.