Yoo Seung-jun Visa Battle Reaches Next Turn as Seoul High Court Weighs In
Singer Yoo Seung-jun's battle for a Korean visa has reached its latest turn. The Seoul High Court's Administrative Division will deliver a ruling on his third administrative lawsuit on February 2nd.
This suit stems from the LA Consulate General's denial of his Overseas Koreans (F-4) status visa application in June last year, despite two previous Supreme Court rulings in Yoo's favor. The first-instance court ruled that compared to the public interest gained from denying the visa, the disadvantage suffered by Yoo was excessively large, and thus there was illegality in departing from and abusing discretion in violation of the principle of proportionality.
The LA Consulate General initially refused to issue Yoo a visa in 2015, citing concerns that he could harm Korea's interests or public safety. However, the Act on the Immigration and Legal Status of Overseas Koreans provided that even if a person had lost nationality to evade military service, they would be excluded from restrictions on Overseas Korean status upon turning 38.