Composer Yoon Il-sang shared his thoughts on singer Yoo Seung-jun (American name: Steve Yoo), who is banned from entering the country due to draft evasion.
On the 10th, a video titled "Yoo Seung-jun's debut era + the late Seo Ji-won + baseball cheering songs, the behind-the-scenes stories you love" was uploaded to the YouTube channel 'Producer Yoon Il-sang'.
In the video, Yoon Il-sang responded to the production team's comment, "Didn't you produce Yoo Seung-jun's debut song?" by saying, "The debut album had the song 'I Love You, Sister.' Originally, the title track was 'I Love You, Sister,' but at that time, due to the reason that too many of Yoon Il-sang's songs were coming out, a 'Yoon Il-sang quota system' was implemented, limiting broadcast appearances and airings, and the title track changed to 'Scissors'."
He continued, "(Yoo Seung-jun's) gaze and dance were incredible. He was the first artist to say he wanted to be a producer himself. If it were now, it would have caused a global sensation. At that time, the producer even went to meet the real Michael Jackson to raise him like Michael Jackson."
Yoo Seung-jun debuted in 1997 and was loved for numerous hit songs such as 'Scissors,' 'Passion,' and 'Na Na Na,' but he acquired U.S. citizenship before his enlistment in 2002, leading to a ban on his entry due to draft evasion controversy.
Regarding Yoo Seung-jun's choice, Yoon Il-sang said, "It seems that Seung-jun's heart was in the U.S. Korea is a place where business is strong, and I think he thought his return place was the U.S. That was my guess at the time. So I think he made that absurd choice."
He added, "He made bold promises to the public. If he couldn't keep them, he should have made a sincere apology. An apology should be genuine until the person receiving it acknowledges it. I occasionally contact Yoo Seung-jun, but if he doesn't see me because of this video, that's unavoidable. Personally, I don't hate Yoo Seung-jun, but as a celebrity, he clearly made a mistake."
Meanwhile, Yoo Seung-jun applied for an overseas Korean visa (F-4) to enter the country in 2015, but when it was denied, he filed a lawsuit three times to have it canceled. Yoo Seung-jun ultimately won in the Supreme Court in March 2020 and November 2023, but the Ministry of Justice and the LA Consulate General continued to deny his visa issuance, stating, "Yoo Seung-jun's evasion of military service poses a risk to national interests."
Yoo Seung-jun also won in his third lawsuit last August. The court ruled, "The public interest gained from the denial of the visa issuance is outweighed by the excessive disadvantages suffered by the plaintiff, violating the principle of proportionality and constituting an abuse of discretion." However, the court dismissed Yoo Seung-jun's lawsuit to confirm the non-existence of the entry ban decision made by the Ministry of Justice in 2002, stating it was not subject to the court's judgment.
[Lee Da-gyeom, Star Today reporter]
