Singer Yoo Seung Joon will continue his years-long legal fight to return to South Korea after a Seoul court confirmed the first appeal hearing in his latest visa lawsuit for July 3.
According to legal sources on May 20, the Seoul High Court will hear Yoo's appeal against the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles over its refusal to issue him an overseas Korean visa. The hearing comes nearly 10 months after a lower court ruled in Yoo's favor in August 2025.
Yoo, who debuted in 1997 and became one of Korea's biggest stars, has been unable to enter the country since 2002, AllKpop reported.
The controversy began when he left South Korea for an overseas schedule while facing mandatory military service requirements. He later obtained US citizenship, which exempted him from military duty and sparked major public backlash.
Soon after, the Ministry of Justice banned his entry under immigration rules that allow the government to deny entry to foreigners considered harmful to national interests or public safety.
In 2015, after turning 38, Yoo applied for an F-4 overseas Korean visa through the Los Angeles consulate. At the time, Korean law allowed former citizens connected to military service issues to apply for the visa after that age. However, the request was denied, beginning a legal dispute that has lasted for more than a decade.
#YooSeungJoon’s third visa lawsuit appeal hearing set for Julyhttps://t.co/RdfdzRWOY5
— allkpop (@allkpop) May 20, 2026
Yoo Seung Joon Continues Fight to Re-Enter Korea
Yoo later won two separate Supreme Court decisions related to the case. Even so, the Los Angeles consulate continued rejecting his visa applications, arguing that his past actions regarding military service could still negatively affect public trust and national interests.
According to Chosun, after another refusal in June 2024, Yoo filed his third lawsuit in September of the same year.
In the first ruling for the case, the court sided with the singer, saying the disadvantages placed on him were too excessive compared to the public benefit gained from blocking his entry. The court stated that keeping an effective lifetime entry ban on Yoo raised concerns about fairness and proportionality.
Judges also noted that his current activities and presence were unlikely to threaten South Korea's national security or public welfare.
However, the court also stressed that the ruling did not mean Yoo's past actions were appropriate. Instead, it focused on whether the continued visa denial remained legally reasonable after so many years.
The Los Angeles consulate appealed that ruling, moving the case back into court once again.
