Visa Issuance Denial a Human Rights Violation?… Yoo Seung-jun Furious Over "Undermining the Foundation of the Rule of Law"

"Refusal of Yoo Seung-jun's Entry Crosses the Line"

Singer Yoo Seung-jun, who was banned from entering the country for 22 years due to evading military service, expressed outrage over the recent refusal of his visa issuance despite winning a Supreme Court case last November, calling it a "human rights violation."

On the 28th, Yoo Seung-jun posted a statement on social media under the name of his attorney, Ryu Jeong-seon. He described the entry ban due to visa issuance refusal as "an unprecedented case where the administrative authority does not comply with the judiciary's ruling," and expressed indignation, asking, "Is it acceptable to indefinitely ban an individual from entering the country for over 22 years without any legal basis?"

The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles (LA) recently stated that, after reviewing with the Ministry of Justice and others, it decided to ban Yoo Seung-jun's entry. They refused to issue a visa on the grounds that Yoo Seung-jun's actions after July 2, 2020 (the date of the second refusal) could harm South Korea's interests in terms of national security, public order, public welfare, and diplomatic relations.

In response, Yoo Seung-jun's side explained, "Although the first and second refusal decisions were judged illegal, this third refusal crosses the line by the administrative authority not complying with court rulings twice. We have filed a cancellation lawsuit against the third refusal and a confirmation lawsuit regarding the non-existence or invalidity of the entry ban decision itself."

He further criticized, saying, "The administrative authority ignoring court rulings and continuing illegal measures is not only a human rights violation but also a serious issue undermining the foundation of the rule of law." He added, "We feel deep concern and a grave sense of problem that the Ministry of Justice and related administrative authorities, who should lead in complying with laws and respecting judicial decisions more than any other institution, have shown an attitude that seems to repeatedly ignore the judiciary's final rulings twice."

Regarding suspicions that Yoo Seung-jun insists on an overseas Korean (F-4) visa to engage in profit-making activities despite being able to enter on a tourist visa, he denied the claims, stating, "This is completely untrue." He argued that filing a lawsuit with a different visa type could raise questions about the legitimacy of the lawsuit itself, and that lawyers recommended proceeding with the lawsuit under the status of an overseas Korean as it could be more advantageous.

Yoo Seung-jun debuted in April 1997 and, before enlisting in January 2002, left the country under the pretext of a performance and acquired U.S. citizenship in a Los Angeles court, thereby losing his Korean nationality. Subsequently, the Ministry of Justice restricted his entry. At age 39 in 2015, he applied for an overseas Korean visa (F-4) at the LA Consulate General but was refused. He filed a lawsuit to cancel the visa issuance refusal, winning at the Supreme Court. However, in July 2020, he applied again for a visa under the overseas Korean residency status at the LA Consulate General and was refused. He filed another lawsuit in October of the same year at the Seoul Administrative Court to cancel the visa refusal. He ultimately won the final appeal on November 30 last year.