The first hearing in the third administrative lawsuit filed by singer Steve Yoo (Yoo Seung-jun) to gain entry into South Korea is set to take place on the 20th.
The Seoul Administrative Court's 5th Division (Chief Judge Kim Soon-yeol) will conduct the initial hearing of the lawsuit filed by Yoo against the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles and the Ministry of Justice. The lawsuit seeks confirmation of the non-existence of an entry ban and the cancellation of the visa issuance refusal. This marks Yoo's third legal battle against the government.
Yoo has been unable to enter South Korea for 23 years due to a military service evasion controversy. In 2002, he left the country citing overseas performances and subsequently acquired U.S. citizenship. As a result, the government banned his entry under the Immigration Control Act, preventing him from returning to South Korea.
In October 2015, Yoo applied for an F-4 visa for overseas Koreans at the Los Angeles Consulate General but was denied. He then filed a lawsuit to cancel the visa issuance refusal. Although he lost in the first and second trials, the Supreme Court overturned the decision and remanded the case. The appellate court ruled in favor of Yoo, and the Supreme Court upheld this decision.
However, in 2020, the Los Angeles Consulate General once again denied his visa application, prompting Yoo to file a second lawsuit. He lost in the first trial but won in the appellate court, with the Supreme Court affirming the decision.
Despite this, the Consulate General denied his visa application again in June of last year. In response, Yoo filed a third lawsuit in September, seeking to cancel the visa issuance refusal and confirm the non-existence of an entry ban against the Ministry of Justice.