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Seoul court refuses to lift travel ban on Japanese reporter

February 13, 2015

Tatsuya Kato, right, head of the Seoul bureau of Japan’s Sankei Shimbun newspaper, was indicted on defamation charges. (NEWSis)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — A Seoul court on Friday rejected a request from a Japanese reporter to leave South Korea as he is now on trial here for defaming President Park Geun-hye.

Tatsuya Kato, former head of the Seoul bureau of Japan’s Sankei Shimbun newspaper, had been banned from leaving the country since August pending a trial for defamation.

He is accused of defaming Park by reporting rumors in August that she might have been with a man when a South Korean ferry sank off the southwest coast in April, killing more than 300 people.

The controversial travel ban has been renewed six times by the Ministry of Justice. Last week, Kato filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Administrative Court to have the measure canceled.

The court said the travel ban is justified because there is no guarantee that Kato would return to South Korea to continue standing trial.

Because Kato has lived in South Korea for more than four years, the court also said that staying here longer shouldn’t inflict “unbearable damages” on the Japanese man.

Kato had asked to be allowed to reunite with his family in Japan. Regarding this argument, the court said his family should be able to visit him here.

At a hearing earlier in the day, Kato had promised to come back to South Korea for the defamation trial.

“I have no thoughts of fleeing from this trial, which has become an international sensation,” he told the judges. “I promise to attend all hearings in South Korea.”