Singer Yoo Seung-jun (Steve Seung-jun Yoo, 48) had the first hearing for his third administrative lawsuit demanding the invalidation of his entry ban and the issuance of a domestic entry visa on the 20th. Yoo's side argued that the entry ban itself, which was the basis for the visa denial, is invalid.
The Administrative Division 5 of the Seoul Administrative Court (Director General Lee Jeong-won) proceeded in the afternoon with the first hearing regarding Yoo Seung-jun's lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice and the Consulate General of Los Angeles over the non-existence of the entry ban decision and the cancellation of the visa issuance denial.
Previously, Yoo Seung-jun filed two administrative lawsuits against the Los Angeles Consulate General, but this is the first time he has sued the Ministry of Justice. Yoo's attorney noted that the entry ban decision made by the Ministry of Justice on February 1, 2002, is non-existent and asserted that, alternatively, the entry ban decision is invalid and the failure to lift it is unlawful.
He added that since the Supreme Court had ruled on the previous two administrative lawsuits, the Los Angeles Consulate General must lawfully issue the visa, but it is refusing to issue it based on the invalid entry ban decision from the Ministry of Justice.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Justice maintains that there is still a necessity for the entry ban on Yoo Seung-jun, as it could affect the public interest of South Korea. A representative from the Ministry of Justice expressed concern about the context in which Yoo's side received the 'guidelines for processing entry regulations, etc.' that they submitted.
The Ministry of Justice stated, "If foreign nationals become aware of this, there will be many cases where they attempt to enter based on this information, which could hinder immigration operations significantly. If this becomes public to outsiders, it could be very detrimental to social order and public safety. It is quite alarming what the plaintiff is doing in this regard."
Following this, the first hearing for the cancellation lawsuit regarding the visa issuance denial that Yoo Seung-jun filed against the Los Angeles Consulate General was conducted in succession.
Earlier, Yoo Seung-jun faced controversy over evading military service after he left for overseas performances in January 2002, despite having received a call-up notice as a public service worker, and obtained U.S. citizenship. He subsequently attempted to enter the country with a Overseas Korean (F-4) visa, but after the Los Angeles Consulate General denied the visa issuance, he filed a primary lawsuit for the visa issuance.
At that time, Yoo lost in both the first and second trials, but the Supreme Court overturned this decision and remanded the case. The remanded trial was re-examined according to the Supreme Court's reasoning for overturning the initial verdict and resulted in a victory for Yoo Seung-jun. Although a retrial request was submitted, the Supreme Court's dismissal of the case without deliberation confirmed this judgment.
Based on this, Yoo Seung-jun applied for a second visa issuance at the Los Angeles Consulate General, but when the consulate once again refused to issue the visa, he filed a re-lawsuit.
In the second lawsuit, the court ruled in favor of Yoo Seung-jun. The first trial ruled against Yoo, but the second trial pointed out issues with the legal provisions applied in the consulate's visa denial decision, resulting in a ruling in favor of Yoo. This judgment was later confirmed by the Supreme Court.
However, the Los Angeles Consulate General denied the visa issuance again in June of last year, and Yoo Seung-jun initiated a third legal battle against the government by filing a cancellation lawsuit for the denial decision and a non-existence confirmation lawsuit regarding the entry ban in September of the same year. The court plans to conclude the arguments for the two administrative lawsuits on May 8.
Meanwhile, on the 18th, Yoo Seung-jun revealed his nostalgia for Korea by posting a video on his social media account, stating, "On December 7, 1989, at the age of 13 (in the first year of middle school). This is my last school, Oju Middle School in Songpa-gu, before emigrating to the United States. It looks the same."
The released video featured the school walls, playground, and school gate of a school located in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Yoo Seung-jun expressed gratitude to a fan, saying, "One of my fans filmed the middle school they attended until they emigrated to the United States and sent me the video. Thank you." He also released a video depicting the scenery of Munjeong Elementary School, which he attended since its opening.