Will Yoo Seung-jun Set Foot on 'Korean Soil' After Over 20 Years? Final Victory in Visa Lawsuit

American citizen singer Yoo Seung-jun (47, U.S. name Steve Seung-jun Yoo) has won the final lawsuit against the South Korean government, requesting the issuance of an overseas Korean resident visa (F-4).

The Supreme Court's 3rd Division (Presiding Justice Lee Heung-gu) on the 30th upheld the lower court's ruling in favor of Yoo in the appeal trial against the Los Angeles (LA) Consulate General's refusal to issue a passport and visa, by dismissing the appeal without oral argument.

When Yoo was 39 years old in 2015, the LA Consulate General refused to issue the F-4 visa, prompting him to file his first lawsuit seeking cancellation of the refusal. After remand and re-appeal trials, he ultimately won the final ruling at the Supreme Court.

However, the LA Consulate General again refused to issue the visa, stating that "Yoo's evasion of military service poses a risk to national interests."

In response, Yoo filed a second lawsuit against the LA Consulate General in October 2020. Although he lost in the first trial, the second trial court ruled in his favor in July this year, ordering the cancellation of the refusal.

If the government issues the visa in accordance with the court ruling, Yoo will be able to set foot on Korean soil for the first time in over 20 years since being banned from entering by the Ministry of Justice in 2002.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.