Yoo Seungjun’s Third Visa Appeal Trial Begins... Authorities Call Him "Icon of Draft Evasion"

Yoo's Side: "No Grounds for Entry Ban"
LA Consulate: "Deception of State Authorities"

The appellate hearing for the third lawsuit regarding the issuance of an entry visa to Korea for singer Yoo Seungjun (49, American name Steve Seungjun Yoo), who has been unable to enter Korea for 24 years, has begun. The verdict for the appeal is expected to be delivered in September 2026.

According to Yonhap News Agency on July 3, the Seoul High Court's Administrative Division 8-2 (Judges Kim Bongwon, Lee Youngchang, and Choi Bonghee) opened the first appellate hearing for the lawsuit filed by Yoo against the Consul General of Los Angeles (LA) seeking the cancellation of the refusal to issue a visa. The court announced that the ruling will be delivered on September 4 at 2 p.m.

This trial is the appellate review of the third administrative lawsuit that Yoo has filed since 2015 after being denied a visa.

Singer Yoo Seungjun. YouTube capture

Yoo, who debuted in 1997 and was actively working as a singer in Korea, had promised to enlist in the military on television. However, after leaving Korea in January 2002 purportedly for a performance, he acquired U.S. citizenship, thereby avoiding his mandatory military service. As public criticism intensified, the Ministry of Justice restricted his entry, citing the Immigration Control Act and stating that he fell under the category of "those for whom there is reasonable cause to believe that their conduct may harm the interests or public safety of the Republic of Korea."

In August 2015, when Yoo turned 38, he applied for a visa at the LA Consulate with the status of Overseas Korean (F-4). Under the former Act on the Immigration and Legal Status of Overseas Koreans, the F-4 status could be granted to those who had lost their nationality to evade military service upon reaching the age of 38.

However, the LA Consulate denied his visa application in September of the same year, prompting Yoo to file his first lawsuit to overturn the decision. Although he ultimately won a final and conclusive judgment in the Supreme Court through a retrial and re-appeal, the LA Consulate again refused to issue the visa, stating that "Yoo's evasion of military duty poses a risk to national interest."

Yoo filed a second lawsuit in October 2020 and again won a final ruling in the Supreme Court in November 2023. Nevertheless, when the LA Consulate once again denied his visa application in June 2024, Yoo filed a third lawsuit in September that year. In August of the previous year, the first trial for the third lawsuit ruled in Yoo's favor, stating, "The disadvantage suffered by the plaintiff as a result of the visa denial far outweighs the public interest gained, thus constituting an abuse and misapplication of discretionary power in violation of the principle of proportionality."

The legal representative for the LA Consulate criticized the first trial ruling that favored Yoo, stating, "It seems excessively lenient rather than a legal judgment," and added, "Yoo has become an icon of draft evasion in Korean society, blatantly deceiving government authorities and causing significant disappointment."

The representative further pointed out that Yoo and his family could still enter Korea temporarily without a visa. He added, "The Overseas Korean visa grants almost the same rights as Korean nationals, such as property acquisition and access to national health insurance. There is doubt as to whether it is appropriate for someone like Yoo, who renounced his nationality to evade military service, to enjoy such benefits."

In response, Yoo Seungjun's legal representative countered, "The LA Consulate has been repeating the same arguments for ten years. Ultimately, their position is that 'Yoo should not be allowed entry for emotional reasons,'" and added, "The Supreme Court has already ruled that there is no longer any reason to ban him from entering the country."

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