Seoul High Court sets second appeal hearing for Yoo’s visa lawsuit

Seoul High Court Sets Second Appeal Hearing on Visa Denial

The Seoul High Court’s administrative panel scheduled the second trial hearing on October 2 at 2:00 p.m. for Yoo’s lawsuit against the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles. The legal challenge targets the consulate’s ongoing refusal to issue a visa to the 49-year-old entertainer, who has fought entry restrictions through the South Korean judicial system for over a decade.

Decades of Legal Battles Followed 2002 Citizenship Switch

Yoo achieved widespread popularity in South Korea before choosing American citizenship in 2002 just prior to his scheduled mandatory military enlistment. Leaving the country under the guise of an overseas performance, he acquired U.S. citizenship and avoided military duty, prompting the Military Manpower Administration and the Ministry of Justice to enforce an entry ban under Article 11 of the Immigration Act.

Beginning in September 2015, Yoo applied for an overseas Korean visa (F-4) through the Los Angeles consulate and filed his first administrative lawsuit after officials rejected the paperwork. Although he won final victories at the Supreme Court in two separate legal challenges, the Los Angeles consulate repeatedly denied subsequent visa applications, forcing Yoo into this third round of litigation.

Lower Court Ruled Consulate Exceeded Discretionary Authority

In August, the first-instance trial court ruled in Yoo’s favor, concluding that the visa refusal imposed an excessive hardship that outweighed the public interest and violated the principle of proportionality. The initial panel emphasized that its judgment did not endorse Yoo’s past actions, but the Los Angeles consulate appealed the decision, pushing the dispute to the appellate court.