Singer Yoo Seung-jun (48, American name Steve Seung Jun Yoo) will also face an appeals ruling in his third lawsuit over the issuance of a Korean visa.
According to the legal community on the 18th, the Consulate General in Los Angeles (LA) filed an appeal that day against the Seoul Administrative Court's ruling ordering it to cancel the decision to deny Yoo Seung-jun a visa to enter Korea.
Earlier, on 28th, the Administrative Division 5 of the Seoul Administrative Court (presiding judge Lee Jeong-won) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by Yoo Seung-jun against the LA Consulate General to cancel the decision denying the issuance of a visa.
The court said, "The third decision to deny visa issuance on the grounds that the plaintiff (Yoo Seung-jun)'s words and conduct could harm the interests of the Republic of Korea in areas such as national security, public order, public welfare, and diplomatic relations is not supported by the stated reasons," and added, "Compared with the public interest to be gained from the third denial, the disadvantage imposed on the plaintiff is excessively large, rendering the decision an unlawful departure from and abuse of discretion."
It continued, "Issuing a permanent entry ban with no fixed term and refusing to issue an overseas Korean visa violates the principle of proportionality," and noted, "Even though there is no essential difference from other draft evaders, prohibiting only the plaintiff from entering for an extended period and refusing to issue a visa constitutes arbitrary discriminatory treatment and also violates the principle of equality."
However, it added, "This is by no means a judgment that the plaintiff's past conduct was appropriate," and said, "In light of the critical awareness of our people, who have matured sufficiently through a tumultuous history, there is no concern that the plaintiff's presence or activities would threaten the existence or security of the Republic of Korea."
While actively performing as a singer in Korea, Yoo Seung-jun received a notice to report as a public service worker. He promised in public to enlist in the military, but in January 2002, while abroad for a scheduled performance, he renounced his Korean nationality and chose U.S. citizenship, sparking controversy. As public opinion rapidly worsened and he had given up his nationality, his entry into Korea was restricted that year.
In September 2015, Yoo Seung-jun applied for an overseas Korean visa (F-4), but the LA Consulate General rejected it, leading him to file his first lawsuit seeking to "cancel the decision to deny visa issuance." He lost in the first and second trials, but the Supreme Court overturned those rulings and remanded the case.
After the remand trial and a subsequent appeal, he won a final victory at the Supreme Court, but the LA Consulate General again refused issuance, saying, "Yoo's evasion of military service obligations could harm the national interest."
Yoo Seung-jun filed a second lawsuit in Oct. 2020 and again won a final victory at the Supreme Court in Nov. 2023. However, the LA Consulate General again refused to issue a visa in Jun. last year, and Yoo filed a third lawsuit in Sep. that year.