Singer Yoo Seung-jun (48, American name Steve Seung-jun Yoo), who has been unable to enter the country for 23 years due to draft evasion, mentioned soccer player Seok Hyun-jun and others, claiming a violation of the principles of proportionality and equality. In response, the LA Consulate General argued that Yoo Seung-jun's case is different from the sports stars he mentioned.
The 5th Administrative Division of the Seoul Administrative Court (Chief Judge Lee Jeong-won) held the second hearing on the morning of the 26th at 10:20 AM regarding Yoo Seung-jun's lawsuit against the LA Consulate General for the cancellation of the visa issuance refusal and the lawsuit against the Minister of Justice for the confirmation of the non-existence of the entry ban decision.
On this day, Yoo Seung-jun's side argued, “We believe that the factual judgment has been concluded in the previous ruling. The entry ban should be lifted through a Supreme Court ruling, and it has been determined that the refusal to issue a visa is illegal. Nevertheless, the LA Consulate General continues to refuse to issue a visa.”
They continued, “There are no grounds for refusing the visa issuance, and it violates the principles of proportionality and equality, so the refusal to issue a visa should be canceled,” adding, “Since the defendant is firmly asserting the plaintiff's entry ban, indirect coercion is also necessary.”
In response, the LA Consulate General stated, “The plaintiff's claim of the principles of proportionality and equality and the cases of the mentioned sports stars (such as soccer player Seok Hyun-jun) are different from the plaintiff's case. Regarding the indirect coercion, it seems that the plaintiff's application for indirect coercion does not meet the requirements in this case. Please consider that when making a judgment.”
Yoo Seung-jun debuted in 1997 and was loved for numerous hit songs such as ‘Scissors’, ‘Passion’, and ‘Na Na Na’, but he acquired American citizenship before his enlistment in 2002, leading to a draft evasion controversy and a ban on entry.
After being unable to set foot in Korea for several years, he applied for an overseas Korean visa (F-4) in 2015 to enter the country, but after being denied, he filed a lawsuit to cancel the refusal and ultimately won. However, the LA Consulate General again refused to issue the visa, and Yoo Seung-jun filed a second cancellation lawsuit, winning again in the Supreme Court in November 2023.
However, in 2024, the LA Consulate General decided to ban Yoo Seung-jun's entry after reviewing with the Ministry of Justice and others, stating that his actions after July 2, 2020 (the date of the second refusal) could harm the interests of South Korea, including national security, order maintenance, public welfare, and diplomatic relations.
In response, Yoo Seung-jun initiated a third legal battle against the government in September of the same year by filing a lawsuit to cancel the refusal decision and a lawsuit to confirm the non-existence of the entry ban decision.
[Lee Da-gyeom, Star Today Reporter]
