Yoo Seungjun's Third Visa Lawsuit Heads to Appeals Court as LA Consulate General Appeals

First Trial: "The Disadvantages Suffered by Yoo Are Excessively Great"
LA Consulate General Appeals the Court’s Ruling

Singer Yoo Seungjun (Steve Seungjun Yoo, 48) will face an appellate court ruling in his third lawsuit over visa issuance. Yoo recently won a lawsuit against the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles (LA) seeking to overturn the denial of his visa application, but the LA Consul General has appealed the decision.

Seungjun Yoo. Screenshot from Seungjun Yoo's Instagram.

According to the legal community on September 18, the LA Consulate General filed an appeal on this day against the ruling by the Seoul Administrative Court, which ordered the cancellation of the decision to deny Yoo Seungjun’s visa issuance.

Previously, on August 28, the Seoul Administrative Court’s Division 5 for administrative cases (Presiding Judge Lee Jeongwon) ruled in favor of Yoo, the plaintiff, in his lawsuit seeking to overturn the denial of his visa application by the LA Consulate General.

The court found it difficult to recognize the reasons cited by the LA Consulate General for denying Yoo’s visa-namely, concerns that his entry could harm national security, public order, public welfare, or diplomatic relations of the Republic of Korea.

The court further stated, "The public interest gained from denying the visa is excessively outweighed by the disadvantages suffered by the plaintiff, thus constituting an unlawful exercise of discretion that violates the principle of proportionality."

However, the court also added, "This conclusion does not mean that the court considers the plaintiff’s past actions to have been appropriate."

Yoo Seungjun, who debuted as a singer in 1997 and gained nationwide popularity, left Korea for an overseas performance in 2002 just before his mandatory military service. He subsequently renounced his Korean citizenship and became a U.S. citizen. This led to a major controversy over military service evasion, resulting in a sharp deterioration of public sentiment, and the Ministry of Justice banned his entry under Article 11, Paragraph 1 of the Immigration Control Act.

In September 2015, Yoo attempted to enter Korea using an Overseas Korean (F-4) visa, but after the LA Consulate General denied his visa application, he filed his first lawsuit. He lost in both the first and second trials, but the Supreme Court reversed the decisions and remanded the case, ultimately resulting in a ruling in his favor after a retrial.

However, when the LA Consulate General again refused to issue a visa, Yoo filed a second lawsuit in October 2020 and won once more at the Supreme Court in November 2023.

Nevertheless, when the LA Consulate General once again denied his visa in June last year, Yoo filed a third lawsuit in September. Although he won the first trial in this third lawsuit, the LA Consulate General’s appeal has sent the case back to the appellate court.