Little-known former US official sets off flurry of election misinfo in Korea

Morse Tan, a former US official and dean of Liberty University’s School of Law, is reportedly fueling election fraud conspiracy theories in South Korea. Tan arrived in the country as part of a self-styled "Korea-US Election Fraud Joint Investigation Team" and has been meeting with prominent figures who promote similar unsubstantiated claims.

Tan's itinerary included meetings with Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the far-right Freedom & Innovation party, and former lecturer and YouTuber Jeon Han-gil. These gatherings have emboldened online communities, leading to a surge in unverified election fraud allegations that are subsequently amplified by politicians and influential YouTubers. Tan also visited the Seongnam Mail Center, where early voting ballots were being collected for local elections.

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Examples of fraud in the June 3 local elections.

These activities have exacerbated public distrust in the electoral process. Online chat rooms frequented by election deniers have seen the circulation of unverified reports, such as claims of voters casting multiple ballots or discrepancies in vote counts. Hwang Kyo-ahn has lent credence to these claims by sharing them on his social media. Experts warn that such conspiracy theories undermine trust in democracy itself.

Tan himself is under investigation by Korean police for alleged defamation related to claims about President Lee Jae Myung's involvement in organized crime and has not been complying with police summonses. The proliferation of these election fraud theories, experts say, poses a significant threat to South Korea's democratic institutions.

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Election fraud conspiracy theories are being proliferated to dest