Singer Yoo Seung-jun (49, U.S. name Steven Seung-jun Yoo), who has not been able to enter Korea for 23 years due to military service evasion, stated in the second hearing of his third administrative lawsuit against the government that the Ministry of Justice said, "We cannot allow entry."
According to the legal profession on the 29th, on the 26th, the Administrative Division 5 of the Seoul Administrative Court (presiding Judge Lee Jung-won) held the second hearing for the lawsuit filed by Yoo Seung-jun against the Consulate General of Korea in Los Angeles (LA) and the Ministry of Justice for the cancellation of the visa issuance refusal and confirmation of the nonexistence of the entry ban.
Yoo Seung-jun's side argued, "The Supreme Court ruling has come out until the first and second lawsuits, and the Consulate General in LA must issue the visa, but the Ministry of Justice's entry ban decision remains valid, so the issuance continues to be refused," and requested confirmation of the nonexistence and invalidity of the 2002 entry ban decision.
In this regard, Yoo Seung-jun's side cited the case of soccer player Seok Hyun-jun. Seok Hyun-jun was charged with failing to return by the deadline after being notified by the Military Manpower Administration to return by June 3, 2019, while staying in France for overseas soccer player activities without justifiable reasons. The court sentenced him to six months in prison with a one-year suspension. However, he was not subjected to an entry ban in Korea.
In response, Yoo Seung-jun's side stated, "This is a measure that ignores the principles of proportionality and equality, and indirect coercion is necessary."
However, the Ministry of Justice noted, "The entry ban decision is the authority and discretion of the Minister. Yoo Seung-jun has been continuously arguing with the public. His entry into the country could cause social chaos."
Yoo Seung-jun, who debuted in April 1997, lost his Korean nationality after acquiring U.S. citizenship following his departure for a performance in 2002, thus avoiding military service. This led to severe criticism that he was evading his military obligations, prompting the Ministry of Justice to restrict his entry.
Subsequently, Yoo Seung-jun applied for an Overseas Korean (F-4) residency visa at the LA Consulate General in 2015, but it was rejected. He filed a lawsuit to have this canceled and won in the Supreme Court after a retrial and a reconsideration.
The consulate continued to deny the visa issuance, and Yoo Seung-jun filed a second cancellation lawsuit, winning again in the Supreme Court in November 2023. However, the LA Consulate General rejected the visa issuance in June last year, and Yoo Seung-jun filed a third lawsuit in September of the same year.