Jeon Han-gil Loses Lawsuit to Lift Departure Ban... Court Cites "Risk of Investigation Disruption"

Spreading False Information About President Lee Alleged

Court: "Failed to Respond to Seven Summonses During Last Overseas Stay"

Jeon Han-gil (real name Jeon Yu-gwan), a former Korean history instructor turned YouTuber, who is under investigation for allegedly spreading false information about President Lee Jae-myung, lost an administrative lawsuit challenging the extension of his departure ban.

According to Yonhap News and legal circles on August 9, Judge Yoo Young-hwa of the 11th Single Administrative Division at the Seoul Administrative Court recently ruled against Jeon in his lawsuit to cancel the extension of the departure ban issued by the Minister of Justice.

Jeon Hangil, a former Korean history lecturer accused of defamation against President Lee Jae-myung and Reform New Party leader Lee Jun-seok, is expressing his position while appearing for the suspect interrogation before the detention warrant request at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on April 13. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

In October of last year, Jeon was reported by the Democratic Party of Korea and others after making claims on his YouTube channel about President Lee’s alleged slush fund concealment and illegitimate child. He also asserted that Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, holds only a computer science degree from Harvard University but has no degree in economics, and claimed that Lee received free public opinion polling from a political broker named Myung Tae-gyun. In addition, Jeon spread the so-called ‘Ulsan oil shipment to North Korea’ theory—alleging that crude oil may have been leaked to North Korea—for which he was reported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for defamation through dissemination of false information and obstruction of business.

Following a police request, the Ministry of Justice first imposed a departure ban on Jeon in February this year, and has since extended the ban in one-month increments. Another extension was issued in June.

In response, Jeon filed an administrative lawsuit challenging the ministry’s measure. Jeon’s legal team argued that continuing the departure ban simply because the investigation was ongoing was unlawful, pointing out that in April the court had already dismissed his arrest warrant, citing no risk of flight or destruction of evidence.

However, the court did not accept Jeon's argument. The court stated, "The disadvantage Jeon suffers as a result of the departure ban does not outweigh, nor is it excessively harsh compared to, the public interest to be protected by the ban."

The court also noted that Jeon had repeatedly failed to comply with summonses by investigation agencies in the past due to overseas stays. "Jeon left the country nine times until the initial departure ban, and during his final overseas stay, he failed to respond to summonses from investigative authorities seven times," the court explained. "If Jeon leaves the country again and does not respond to further summonses, there is a significant risk that the investigation could be disrupted." The court further added, "Considering that several investigations into Jeon are still ongoing, it cannot be said that the departure ban has been unreasonably continued regardless of the actual progress or the specific needs of the investigation."

The court also rejected Jeon's assertions that the departure ban was interfering with his activities as a member of the press. The court stated, "It appears that Jeon's livelihood is based in Korea," and added, "There is no evidence that he is professionally required to leave the country, nor is there evidence of any tangible disadvantages caused by his inability to travel abroad."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.