Steve Yoo Wins Appeal in Third Legal Battle Over Korean Visa Denial

A South Korean appellate court has upheld a lower court ruling that the government's refusal to issue an entry visa to singer Steve Yoo (American name Steven Seungjun Yoo) should be revoked.

The 8-2 administrative division of the Seoul High Court (Presiding Judges Kim Bong-won, Lee Young-chang, and Choi Bong-hee) ruled in favor of the plaintiff, Yoo, during a sentencing hearing held today (2nd), maintaining the same decision as the first trial.

The specific grounds for the ruling were not disclosed in the courtroom.

This lawsuit marks the appellate stage of Yoo's third legal action against the Consul General in Los Angeles (LA) after his visa applications were rejected.

Yoo debuted in 1997 and actively worked as a singer in South Korea, having previously promised on broadcast that he would enlist in the military. However, after leaving the country in January 2002 under the guise of performing overseas, he acquired U.S. citizenship and evaded his mandatory military service.

Amid fierce public backlash against Yoo, the Ministry of Justice restricted his entry based on the Immigration Act, citing that he fell under the category of a person "recognized to have sufficient reason to believe that they may engage in conduct prejudicial to the interests or public safety of the Republic of Korea."

In August 2015, after turning 38, Yoo applied for a visa at the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles under the status of an overseas Korean (F-4 stay status).

He based his application on the former Overseas Koreans Act, which stipulated that overseas Korean status could be granted even to those who lost their nationality for the purpose of evading military service once they reached the age of 38.

However, the LA Consulate General rejected his visa application in September of the same year, prompting Yoo to file his first lawsuit seeking to overturn the decision.

After going through a retrial following a remand and a final appeal to the Supreme Court, Yoo ultimately won a final ruling in his favor. Despite this, the LA Consulate General refused to issue the visa again, stating that "Yoo's evasion of military service obligations poses a risk of harming national interests."

Consequently, Yoo filed a second lawsuit in October 2020, and secured another final victory at the Supreme Court in November 2023.

However, when the LA Consulate General rejected his visa issuance yet again in June 2024, Yoo filed a third lawsuit in September of that year.

In August of last year, the first trial of the third lawsuit ruled in Yoo's favor once more, stating, "The disadvantages suffered by the plaintiff due to the visa denial significantly outweigh the public interest gained from it, making it an unlawful deviation and abuse of discretionary power that violates the principle of proportionality."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.