Morse Tan, a former U.S. ambassador-at-large barred from leaving South Korea since May, pleaded not guilty on Friday as his criminal defamation trial opened in Seoul.
He told supporters outside the court that the proceedings were unlawful.
“Everyone, thank you sincerely for coming here and for supporting and backing me. I know that among those who came here, some came from very distant places such as Busan and Daegu, and I am deeply grateful,” Tan said through an interpreter, according to a computer-aided English translation of a Korean broadcast from outside the court.
“I pleaded not guilty in court,” he said….