Yoo Seung-jun speaks out on YouTube after four years, slams judgment over entry ban

Singer Yoo Seung-jun appears in a YouTube video after nearly four years. Courtesy of YouTube

Korean American singer Yoo Seung-jun, who has been barred from entering South Korea for 23 years over draft-dodging allegations, has resumed activity on YouTube after a four-year hiatus.

A video titled “Yoo Seung Jun comeback? BREAKING NEWS! Yoo Seung Jun aka YSJ has returned?” was uploaded to his official channel on Sunday, which had been inactive since May 23, 2021.

The clip showed Yoo surfing with his son at Malibu and Huntington Beach, followed by nighttime performances in the U.S.

In the video, Yoo grew emotional as he criticized those who continue to condemn him. “You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. Who are you to judge me? Do you keep every promise you make?” he said, adding, “I can’t speak about this without tears.”

Yoo, who debuted in 1997 and rose to the top of the Korean pop scene, left for the U.S. in 2002 before his mandatory military service and obtained U.S. citizenship. He was accused of draft-dodging, leading the Ministry of Justice to impose a ban on his entry into Korea.

In 2015, he applied for an F-4 visa at the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles, but his request was denied. He won two court rulings challenging the decision, yet last year the consulate again rejected his visa application, prompting a third legal battle.

During the first hearing in March, the ministry argued that allowing his entry could harm the public interest. At the second hearing on June 26, it reiterated that the ban falls within the minister’s authority, citing the risk of “social unrest” if Yoo were allowed back.

Yoo stressed in the new video that his aim is not financial gain but restoring his reputation. “Some people think I want to come back to Korea to make money, as if someone is waiting for me with stacks of cash. That is not the case. I only wanted to enter for the sake of my honor,” he said.

His comments came after some fans reportedly issued a statement supporting him, which Yoo dismissed by saying, “I don’t even know who submitted that declaration.”

This article from Xportsnews is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.