SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - A Seoul court has once again ruled in favor of South Korean-American singer Yoo Seung-jun, ordering the cancellation of the government's decision to deny him a visa to enter the country.
The Seoul Administrative Court on Thursday sided with the 48-year-old singer, also known by his U.S. name Steve Seung-jun Yoo, in his third lawsuit against the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles, which had repeatedly rejected his visa applications.
Yoo, once a popular singer in South Korea, was banned from entering the country in 2002 after he obtained U.S. citizenship to avoid mandatory military service, just three months after pledging to enlist.
He applied for an F-4 overseas Korean visa at the LA consulate in 2015, citing a law allowing those over 38 years old who had renounced South Korean nationality to be eligible.
However, the consulate repeatedly denied his requests despite multiple Supreme Court rulings in his favor in 2020 and 2023, citing concerns that his entry could harm national interests.
In this third ruling, the consulate argued that granting Yoo a visa could undermine public order, but the court rejected the claim, saying the grounds were insufficient.
The court added that the ruling does not mean Yoo's past actions were appropriate, dismissing a separate case he filed against the Ministry of Justice seeking to nullify the ministry's 2002 entry ban.
Still, his return to South Korea remains uncertain as the ban remains valid. The consulate may continue to deny his visa unless the ministry lifts the ban.
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