Yoo Sueng-jun Wins Third Suit; Seoul Court Cancels Government’s Visa Denial
Aug 28, 2025
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On the 28th, the Seoul Administrative Court (Chief Judge Lee Jung-won) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by Yoo Seung-joon against the Ministry of Justice and the Consulate General of Los Angeles (LA) asking him to cancel his refusal to issue a visa.
On this day, the court said, "It is difficult to say that Yoo Seung-joon's words and actions are likely to cause substantial harm to the security of the Republic of Korea, maintenance of order, diplomatic relations, etc"When comparing the public interest that can be obtained from the entry ban and the infringement of the private interest suffered by Yoo Seung-jun individual, it is judged that Yoo Seung-jun's disadvantage is greater. This goes against the principle of proportionality."
He then judged that even if Seol-ryeong Yoo Seung-joon is allowed to enter the country and stays in Korea, his existence or activities do not pose a real threat to the safety or interests of the country considering the current level of public consciousness. In addition, "The reason for the refusal of visa issuance is not established, and it should be canceled because it is illegal for deviating or abusing discretionary power.".
However, he stressed that the ruling did not determine that Yoo Seung-joon's past actions were justified or appropriate.
In addition, the court rejected Yoo Seung-joon's lawsuit to confirm the absence of the entry ban, saying that the Ministry of Justice's 2002 decision to ban entry does not exist.
Yoo Seung-joon, who debuted in April 1997, lost his Korean citizenship by obtaining U.S. citizenship after leaving the country for performance purposes in January 2002 when he was notified of the call-up of public service workers. Accordingly, the Ministry of Justice restricted Yoo Seung-joon's entry and has not been able to enter Korea since then.
Since then, Yoo Seung-joon has applied for an overseas Korean visa F-4 that guarantees all rights, including for-profit activities, but filed the first administrative lawsuit in 2015 when the Consulate General of LA refused to do so.
At that time, Yoo Seung-joon lost in the first and second trials, but the Supreme Court overturned it and returned it. After that, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Yoo Seung-joon.
In the second lawsuit, the court ruled in favor of Yoo Seung-joon. The first trial ruled against Yoo Seung-joon, but the second trial ruled in favor of Yoo Seung-joon, pointing out that there is a problem with the provisions of the law applied by the Consulate General to Yoo Seung-joon's refusal to issue a visa. The Supreme Court later confirmed the ruling.
However, the Consulate General of LA refused to issue a visa again in June last year, and Yoo filed a lawsuit in September of the same year to cancel the rejection and confirm the absence of the decision to ban entry.
yaqqol@sportschosun.com
