He has won three consecutive times. The court's ruling consistently favored singer Yoo Seung-jun's 'entry permit'.
On the 28th, the 5th Division of the Seoul Administrative Court held a ruling date for the lawsuit filed by Yoo Seung-jun against the Consulate General in Los Angeles regarding the refusal of visa issuance.
On this day, the court stated, “We have determined that granting Yoo Seung-jun entry does not pose a risk of harming the public interest. When comparing the public interest gained from prohibiting Yoo Seung-jun's entry and his private interest, we believe the degree of infringement on Yoo Seung-jun is greater, which violates the principle of proportionality,” it explained.
It also mentioned the results of the first and second lawsuits, stating, “There are no grounds for the refusal of visa issuance. It should be canceled as it is illegal due to the abuse of discretion.”
However, it emphasized that this ruling does not imply that Yoo Seung-jun's past actions were appropriate.
The court viewed, “We have determined that Yoo Seung-jun's existence or activities do not pose a risk of disadvantage or safety to the existence of the Republic of Korea.”
It dismissed the lawsuit filed against the Ministry of Justice regarding the non-existence of the entry ban decision.
Previously, the Ministry of Justice stated that Yoo Seung-jun's entry could affect the public interest of the Republic of Korea, indicating the necessity of an entry ban. If the Ministry of Justice maintains its refusal despite this court ruling, his return to Korea is expected to remain difficult.
Yoo Seung-jun debuted in 1997 and was loved for numerous hit songs such as 'Gawi', 'Passion', and 'Na Na Na', but he was banned from entering the country after acquiring U.S. citizenship ahead of his military enlistment in 2002, leading to controversy over evading military service.
According to the Military Manpower Administration, at that time, Yoo Seung-jun had a confirmed enlistment date, making it impossible for him to leave the country. However, he expressed his intention to return within the period and boarded a plane through the return guarantee system. But he suddenly acquired citizenship and gave up on returning to Korea.
After not being able to set foot in Korea for several years, he applied for an overseas Korean visa (F-4) in 2015 to enter the country but was denied, leading him to file a lawsuit to cancel the refusal, which he ultimately won. However, the Consulate General in Los Angeles again refused to issue the visa, stating, “Yoo Seung-jun's evasion of military duty poses a risk of harming national interests,” despite the Supreme Court ruling.
In response, Yoo filed a second lawsuit in October 2020, and in November 2023, he won the final ruling from the Supreme Court.
Nevertheless, after being denied visa issuance, he filed a third lawsuit against the Consulate General in September last year to cancel the refusal and also filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Justice regarding the non-existence of the entry ban decision.
Yoo Seung-jun's side has argued that the refusal of visa issuance by the Consulate General should be canceled due to the abuse of discretion based on the definitive judgments of the Supreme Court, and that the entry ban decision by the Ministry of Justice in February 2002 does not exist.
In response, the Consulate General stated, “Yoo Seung-jun's evasion of military duty poses a risk of harming the interests of the Republic of Korea,” citing potential social conflicts such as the decline in morale among military personnel and the spread of military evasion trends.
In the meantime, on the 17th, Yoo Seung-jun communicated through his YouTube channel, saying, “If I don’t know myself, how can you know me? Who are you to judge? Hahaha, do you keep all the promises you made?”
He added, “I started with nothing and have come this far. Looking back, I wonder if I have really lost anything. Just enduring until now is a miracle. I still have dreams and passions that haven’t cooled down, so I can’t give up on dreaming. Life is too short. So I will work harder,” sharing his recent updates and drawing attention.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
