By Derek Vanbuskirk

Copyright dailycaller

Morse Tan, ambassador-at-large of the Office of Global Criminal Justice during President Donald Trump’s first term, told the Daily Caller that South Korea is at risk of tipping toward China, which he fears would lead to a total communist takeover of East Asia.

The ambassador warned that South Korea is at a turning point where it will soon be “forced to choose” between allying with the United States or with China and North Korea and said he hopes it chooses the U.S.

Tan emphasized the importance of a strong U.S.-South Korea relationship in maintaining peace in the region. The country has the fifth-largest army in the world, is positioned between the second- and fourth-largest armies and would be the first line of defense against a Chinese attack on Taiwan, the former ambassador said. (RELATED: Philadelphia Raises Chinese Communist Flag)

“If the pin on this ally is pulled, there will be an explosion in Northeast Asia, the likes of which the U.S. will never want to see,” Tan said. “This has the potential for World War III.”

Tan said the interests of the South Korean people align with those of the United States. However, he accused President Lee Jae Myung of being a “criminal gangster,” claiming his administration of “extreme leftists” are “quickly communizing the country.”

Lee replaced President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached by the country’s parliament in December after declaring martial law, banning all political activities and ordering government monitoring of the media. The move sparked strong political backlash at the time. Yoon was removed from office in April. Lee was elected president in June.

Tan told the Caller that Lee “cheated his way into election” — something Tan alleged he saw firsthand while leading the International Election Monitoring Team’s investigation into South Korea. He also said Lee’s government is working “against the will of the bulk of the people, against the economic interests of the country. They’re opening the doors and the windows wide open for China and North Korea to penetrate in even more.”

Tan alleged that Lee conspired to orchestrate “unauthorized remittances of $8 million to North Korea” in exchange for business favors and allowed North Korean spies into the country. Prosecutors charged the president, then in the opposition, with being tied to an unauthorized remittance to the communist North back in June 2024, according to The Korea Times.

The president sent North Korean defectors to face “possibly their demise or concentration camp[s],” the former ambassador told the Caller. Tan also claimed Lee covered up threats posed by North Korean radioactive waste and permitted North Korean propaganda to reach South Korean radio.

Lee’s administration halted pro-South Korea radio broadcasts targeting North Korea in September, The Korea Herald reported. Yet the administration permitted access to large amounts of North Korean’s often propagandistic media content in South Korea, according to Daily NK.

Tan told the Caller that Lee has shown similar accommodations to the Chinese Communist Party. He accused Lee of opening “the floodgates for visible entry from China” around the same time a fire partially disrupted important South Korean government online systems, including the ability to process IDs.

“The more one looks into it, the more one realizes, this doesn’t look like a, a ‘whoops’ fire. It looks like a, it looks like a Reichstag fire. It looks like an intentional attempt,” Tan claimed.

Tan said trade between South Korea and China is “more extensive than the trade between South Korea and U.S.”

He said that to slow down China and the radical left, South Korea must commit to drastically cutting funding, and he gave them a place to start.

Tan told the Caller that if the South Korean government stopped funding “the leftist infrastructure and NGOs in South Korea” and canceled plans to purchase “over $100 billion in offshore wind and solar equipment” from China, they could slow the spread of Chinese influence to the tune of billions of dollars.

The South Korean people need “robust, decisive action by the United States,” which can apply pressure, Tan said. He claimed the current president was not duly elected, citing alleged election fraud, and called for sanctions. He also suggested that the U.S. military should bolster its presence and establish a joint base in Cheju Island.

Tan said this can only work if accompanied by a “180-degree turn” from what he called the South Korean government’s “anti-American posture.” However, he believes that the South Korean conservative movement is finding the strength and courage to take action.

A Pew Research Center study, cited by Tan, shows that nearly 90% of South Koreans identify the U.S. as their most vital ally, and Tan said he sees this firsthand. (RELATED: Pentagon Urges Suppliers To Massively Boost Missile Production Amid China War Fears)

To demonstrate this pro-American attitude, Tan told the Caller that when he gives speeches in Korea, he is welcomed by record-breaking crowds consisting of hundreds of thousands of people, surpassing the attendance of national pop icons like BTS, chanting “U-S-A” and “Make America Great Again.”

The Daily Caller reached out to the South Korean president’s office for comment.

Editor’s note: Direct quote in headline altered to ensure accuracy.