Singer Yoo Seung-jun (U.S. name Steve Seung Jun Yoo, 49), whose entry into Korea has been restricted amid a draft-dodging controversy, said it is a misunderstanding that the reason he wants to go to Korea is for profit-making activities.
On the 13th, Yoo Seung-jun posted a video on his personal YouTube channel showing his second son competing in a swim meet. After cheering for his son's race, he said, "There are times when my heart collapses because of twisted truths and distorted sincerity, but the reason I keep going is because I have a loving family."
He went on, "Some people think I want to go to Korea to engage in profit-making activities. But I am already very happy and grateful," and added, "I pray that all the misunderstandings standing in our way will be resolved."
The remarks are seen as a rebuttal to composer Yun Il-sang, who earlier publicly targeted Yoo Seung-jun, noting, "If you made a promise to the public, you should have kept it to the end. If you could not, you should have issued a sincere apology."
Yun Il-sang also speculated on the background of the draft-dodging choice, saying, "Yoo Seung-jun must have thought that, in the end, the place he would return to was the United States."
In 2002, just before enlistment, Yoo Seung-jun abruptly obtained U.S. citizenship and was exempted from military service, effectively being ousted from the entertainment industry in Korea. The government that year banned his entry based on the Immigration Control Act, and since then Yoo Seung-jun has not set foot on Korean soil for more than 20 years.
In 2015, he applied for an overseas Korean visa (F-4), but when it was denied, he filed a lawsuit and won twice after a legal battle that went up to the Supreme Court. However, the Los Angeles Consulate General has continued to refuse to issue the visa, and a third lawsuit is now underway.