[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seo-young] Singer Yoo Seung-jun (45, U.S. name Steven Seung-jun Yoo) is facing increasing criticism from netizens as he files a second lawsuit against the government.
On the 30th, the legal community announced that the Seoul Administrative Court, Administrative Division 5 (Chief Judge Jung Sang-gyu) will hold the first hearing on Yoo Seung-jun's lawsuit against the Consulate General in Los Angeles on the 3rd of next month, demanding the cancellation of the decision to refuse his visa issuance. On that day, the court is expected to confirm the positions of both parties involved in the lawsuit and set the trial schedule. Yoo’s domestic lawyers are predicted to appear as legal representatives.
Previously, in 2002, after acquiring U.S. citizenship, Yoo faced restrictions on entering Korea due to controversy over evading military service. He applied for entry with an Overseas Korean visa (F-4) but was denied visa issuance.
Yoo is currently engaged in legal battles over the refusal of entry. In September 2015, he filed a lawsuit against the LA Consulate General and won the case. In the first and second trials, the LA Consulate General won based on concerns about the widespread trend of military service evasion, but the Supreme Court overturned the lower court rulings and sent the case back to the Seoul High Court. Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appealed to the Supreme Court, but in March last year, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling of the retrial.
However, the Supreme Court’s ruling at the time was based on the fact that proper procedures were not followed during the visa refusal process. This did not mean that the visa must necessarily be issued. After the ruling was finalized, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it exercised lawful discretion by comprehensively reviewing relevant laws and regulations and refused Yoo’s visa application again.
On the other hand, public opinion has shown largely negative reactions to Yoo’s lawsuit news. Netizens who learned of the lawsuit commented, "What is the reason for trying so desperately to come in like this?", "I cannot understand the desire to return now just because time has passed and things have quieted down," "It is simply the price for breaking the trust of the people and violating military duty," and "Actually, allowing entry itself is not a problem. However, the bigger issue is that he has made politically highly biased statements multiple times," continuing their criticism.
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