Longstanding animosity among Koreans towards ex-celebrity Steve Yoo persists.
Steve Yoo, a popular Korean-American singer of the late 1990s and early 2000s, has been barred from entering South Korea for over two decades due to draft-dodging allegations. Despite multiple legal victories in Korean courts overturning visa denials, the entry ban remains in place.
In 2002, Yoo renounced his Korean nationality to avoid South Korea's mandatory military conscription, following which the country imposed an entry ban on him under the Immigration Control Act. Despite winning Supreme Court rulings that should have allowed him to receive an F-4 overseas Korean visa, the Korean Consulate in Los Angeles has repeatedly refused to issue it. Yoo has filed multiple lawsuits challenging these refusals and the legality of the entry ban itself, with at least one administrative lawsuit still pending as of August 2025.
The public's response to Yoo's actions was outrage, as he had previously stated he would serve his mandatory military duties. In 2001, Yoo was given permission to leave the country just before he was to commence his service, but he later renounced his Korean citizenship and began the process to gain US citizenship.
Yoo's fans have made public calls for the South Korean government, including President Lee Jae-myung, to lift the entry ban, especially in light of recent special pardons granted on Liberation Day. However, Yoo himself disavows any connection to these fan-led pardon requests and emphasizes that his focus is on justice and fairness under the law, not on seeking a pardon or monetary gain.
A 2023 poll by local outlet News Tomato showed that 75.15 percent of respondents were still against Yoo's return to South Korea. The ministry maintains that imposing an entry ban is the right of a Justice Minister.
The ongoing trial is against both the Justice Ministry and the LA consulate, and Yoo has requested the court confirm that the entry ban should be nullified. The Seoul Administrative Court is set to rule on Yoo's case in the third court proceedings on Aug. 28. Yoo claims that the South Korean government's refusal to issue him a visa is against the law, as per the 2019 Supreme Court ruling on the 2015 case, which was sent back to the Seoul High Court, which ruled in favor of Yoo.
In 2015 and 2020, Yoo filed for a trial against the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles that had refused to issue him a visa. If successful, this could pave the way for Yoo to finally enter South Korea and clear his name, a goal he has consistently maintained since the beginning of his legal battles.
[1] [https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200604000834] [2] [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49059281] [3] [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/1/14/korean-singer-steve-yoo-wins-court-battle-to-enter-south-korea] [4] [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-yoo-idUSKCN28922U] [5] [https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200117000153]
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