Yoo Seung-jun "It's been 4 months since Supreme Court victory, no news... I've done all I can"

Emotions on 27th Debut Anniversary After 'Visa Issuance Victory'

Singer Yoo Seung-jun (real name Steve Seung-jun Yoo, 47) expressed his frustration as the path to entering the country has not opened even four months after winning the Supreme Court case.

On the 2nd, marking his 27th debut anniversary, Yoo Seung-jun wrote on his social media service (SNS), "The time I spent with fans after debuting is less than five years. Half of that was spent in the United States, so my active period was about 2 years and 6 months."

[Photo by Yoo Seung-jun, Instagram capture]

He lamented, "The farewell that seemed like it would end quickly has lasted 22 years," and added, "It has been four months since winning the Supreme Court case, but there has been no news." He continued, "I really lived well. I lived diligently. I have no regrets or resentment. I endured for 22 years. I have done all I could. It's okay."

Yoo Seung-jun debuted as a singer in April 1997 and, ahead of his military enlistment in January 2002, acquired U.S. citizenship at a Los Angeles court, thereby losing his Korean nationality. Subsequently, the Ministry of Justice restricted his entry into Korea. At age 39 in 2015, he applied for an Overseas Korean visa (F-4) at the LA Consulate General to enter Korea but was denied. He filed a lawsuit to cancel the visa issuance refusal, claiming the entry ban was unfair, and won at the Supreme Court.

In July 2020, Yoo Seung-jun applied again for a visa under the Overseas Korean residency status at the LA Consulate General but was refused. In October of the same year, he filed another lawsuit at the Seoul Administrative Court to cancel the visa refusal. He ultimately won the final appeal on November 30 last year. For him to set foot in Korea again, the Ministry of Justice must lift the entry ban. Even if the LA Consulate General issues a visa, if the Ministry of Justice maintains the entry ban, he cannot enter Korea.