"Entering Korea No Longer Has Much Meaning"... Yoo Seungjun, Accused of Military Evasion, Finally Surrenders

"Korea, a Country Like My Mother"

"I Love Korea, but Entering No Longer Has Meaning"

"I Feel My Sincerity Has Not Been Conveyed"

Singer Yoo Seungjun (49, American name Steve Seungjun Yoo) shared his feelings about the long-standing situation in which he has been denied entry to Korea.

On June 4, Yoo released a video titled "I've done enough. Now I'm going to stop" through his YouTube channel "Yoo Seungjun." He described Korea as "the place where I was born and the home of my heart," and added, "It's a country like my mother." He continued, "How could I possibly express it in words?" and said, "You would understand better if you have lived abroad."

He said, "I love Korea so much. That hasn't changed." However, he also said, "To be honest, at this point, entering Korea doesn't have much meaning anymore." He went on to say, "Even though I have explained everything, I feel like my sincerity and true feelings have not been fully conveyed."

He continued, "No matter how much I explain and confess, in the end, only stories about the military service issue or the controversy over abusive language remain." He added, "The process and background of why I made such a choice did not receive any attention, and in the end, only criticism was left." He added, "Now, I have let go of much of that."

Singer Yoo Seungjun. YouTube channel 'Yoo Seungjun'

Yoo also shared his feelings through the comments section of the video. He said, "I have asked myself countless times, 'Why can't you forget Korea and why do you miss it so much?' While trying to answer that question, I realized that I no longer need to spend my time and energy explaining the reasons for my actions, clarifying misunderstandings, or defending myself."

He continued, "I have never once intended to hurt anyone's feelings. I know there were shortcomings and probably mistakes, but at the very least, I hope you understand that I never did anything on purpose." The video drew attention by surpassing 27,000 views in just one day after its release.

Meanwhile, Yoo debuted in 1997 and was actively working as a singer in Korea. He had promised to enlist in the military during TV appearances, but after leaving the country in January 2002 for a performance, he obtained U.S. citizenship and was exempted from mandatory military service.

As public criticism toward Yoo intensified, the Ministry of Justice restricted his entry, stating he fell under the category of those "for whom there is reasonable cause to believe they may harm the interests or public safety of the Republic of Korea." After being banned from entering the country, Yoo applied for a visa at the Consulate General in Los Angeles under the Overseas Korean (F-4) status, but his application was denied.

Yoo subsequently filed a lawsuit to overturn the visa denial and ultimately won a final decision at the Supreme Court. However, the Consulate General in Los Angeles again refused to issue the visa, resulting in continued legal battles. The third appeal trial is currently underway.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.