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Singer Steve Yoo files lawsuit against Justice Ministry over entry ban

Published: 21 Mar. 2025, 16:43 Updated: 21 Mar. 2025, 18:48

Steve Yoo [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Singer Steve Yoo, also known as Yoo Seung-jun, who was banned from entering Korea after becoming a U.S. citizen to evade mandatory military service, has begun legal proceedings against the Ministry of Justice.

Yoo, 49, previously filed a total of three administrative lawsuits starting in 2015, but this is his first lawsuit directly targeting the Justice Ministry.

The Seoul Administrative Court held the first hearings on March 20 for two cases: one seeking confirmation that the Ministry of Justice's entry ban does not exist, and another challenging the refusal of the Korean consulate general in Los Angeles to issue a visa.

“The Supreme Court already ruled in the first and second lawsuits that the L.A. consulate must issue a visa,” said Yoo’s legal team. “Yet, due to the Justice Ministry's still-valid entry ban decision, the visa continues to be denied.

“We ask the court to confirm that the 2002 entry ban is nonexistent or invalid.”

The Justice Ministry said that, despite the previous Overseas Koreans Act allowing residency status for those over 38 even if they had lost Korean nationality to evade military duty, an entry ban is still necessary due to concerns over national interest and public welfare.

The Korean consulate general in Los Angeles had earlier refused to issue a visa, citing Yoo’s evasion of military duty as a case that “could harm the interests of the Republic of Korea.” The consulate pointed to possible negative effects such as lower morale among soldiers and the spread of draft-dodging sentiment.

Both sides clashed over an internal Justice Ministry guideline submitted by Yoo's team as evidence. The ministry argued that the document was classified, saying, “If made public, it could threaten social order or public safety.” Yoo’s side countered that the same material had already been submitted in the previous two lawsuits.

Yoo’s team also filed a request for indirect enforcement against the consulate general who denied the visa issuance. This legal mechanism allows a court to order compensation if the debtor fails to comply within a set period.

The court plans to hold one more hearing on May 8 before concluding arguments.

Yoo, who debuted in April 1997, left Korea in 2002 for a performance and later acquired U.S. citizenship, thereby losing his Korean nationality. The move was met with strong backlash as an attempt to dodge military service, and the Ministry of Justice imposed a travel ban.

In 2015, Yoo filed a lawsuit against the consulate general for denying him an F-4 Overseas Korean visa. He won the case in a Supreme Court ruling after retrial and appeal.

When the consulate general again denied issuance of the visa, Yoo filed a second lawsuit and won again in the Supreme Court in November 2023. However, the consulate general rejected his visa application again in June last year, prompting Yoo to file his third lawsuit in September 2024.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]