[Sportschosun reporter Baek Ji-eun] Steve Yoo, who was barred from entering South Korea over allegations of evading mandatory military service, won his third visa lawsuit.
On the 2nd, Administrative Division 8-2 of the Seoul High Court, composed of Judges Kim Jong-won, Lee Young-chang and Choi Bong-hee, held the appellate ruling hearing in Steve Yoo's lawsuit against the Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles, seeking cancellation of the denial of visa issuance.
As in the first-instance trial, the court ruled in Steve Yoo's favor. However, it did not disclose the specific reasons for the decision in court.
Steve Yoo made his debut in 1997 and rose to fame as one of South Korea's leading male solo singers with hit songs such as "Scissors," "Nanana" and "Passion." However, in 2002, shortly before beginning service as a public service worker, he left the country, saying he would return after performing overseas. He then renounced his South Korean nationality and acquired U.S. citizenship. The Ministry of Justice subsequently restricted his entry into South Korea, determining that he was "a person for whom there are reasonable grounds to believe that he may engage in conduct harmful to the interests or public security of the Republic of Korea."
In 2015, after turning 38, the age at which his military service obligation had fully expired, Steve Yoo applied for an Overseas Korean (F-4) visa, which would guarantee him all rights, including the ability to engage in profit-making activities. The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles rejected his application, prompting Steve Yoo to file his first administrative lawsuit seeking to overturn the visa denial. After a remand trial and a subsequent appeal, the Supreme Court of Korea ultimately ruled in Steve Yoo's favor.
However, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles again denied the visa, saying, "Steve Yoo's evasion of his military service obligations raises concern that it could harm the national interest." Steve Yoo filed his second administrative lawsuit in October 2020. Although the Supreme Court of Korea again issued a final ruling in his favor in November 2023, the consulate rejected his visa application once more in 2024. Steve Yoo then filed a third lawsuit.
In August last year, the first-instance court ruled in Steve Yoo's favor, stating, "The disadvantage suffered by the plaintiff, Steve Yoo, is excessively greater than the public interest gained from denying the visa. Therefore, the decision is unlawful because it constitutes a deviation from and abuse of discretionary power in violation of the principle of proportionality." The consulate appealed, leading to the second-instance ruling.
Steve Yoo prevailed again in the appellate ruling, but this does not mean that he can immediately enter South Korea. If the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles appeals to the Supreme Court of Korea, the case will undergo another review. Steve Yoo also recently said on YouTube, "I now want to let go of the issue of entering South Korea," effectively declaring that he would give up on returning.
Reporter Baek Ji-eun silk781220@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
