Japanese Reporter Barred from Leaving S. Korea for Another 3 Months

Seoul, Jan. 14 (Jiji Press)--The South Korean government has decided to bar a Japanese reporter from leaving the country for a further three months from Friday, over a case of defamation against President Park Geun-hye, it was learned Wednesday. The measure against Tatsuya Kato, a former Seoul bureau chief of the Sankei Shimbun daily, has been extended repeatedly since August last year. He was indicted by South Korean prosecutors in October. The latest extension was revealed on the Japanese daily's Web site on Wednesday. Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn took the decision after rejecting a request filed by Kato's lawyer earlier this month for the ban to be removed on humanitarian grounds. The third court hearing in Kato's trial is scheduled to be held in Seoul on Monday. END