He was Korea’s best selling artist in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, but due to his act of military draft dodging, he was banished from the country and denied reentry more than once.
Yoo Seung Jun was one of the most popular solo artists in Korea in the late 90s. He was also the first celebrity to dodge military enlistment (in 2002) by giving up his Korean citizenship and acquiring an American one. This removed his obligation to enlist in the military but resulted in his banishment from the country as he had previously promised to enlist on multiple platforms.
After being banished, he picked up a career as an actor in China by signing with Jackie Chan‘s acting agency.
He has since tried to request reentry into Korea a few times. In 2013, rumors arose stating Yoo Seung Jun’s banishment had been lifted, but the military quickly denied these rumors and stated that he was still banished.
Two years later, in 2015, he streamed a video of himself tearing up, apologizing, and confessing that he would fulfill his duty of enlisting in the military if it meant he could recover his South Korean citizenship.
He then turned the camera off but apparently didn’t realize that his audio was still broadcasting, as audiences witnessed him cursing after the video ended.
Netizens felt that this invalidated his tearful apology, and the incident ultimately ruined any chance of him rehabilitating his reputation.
In September 2015, Yoo Seung Jun filed a lawsuit against the Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles to lift the ban on his entry into South Korea, after having been denied an F-4 visa. It failed ultimately on the grounds that it would “lower the morale of young adults who are currently sacrificing themselves to serve their country, and have a negative impact on youth.”
On February 23, he filed another lawsuit against the Seoul High Court, but was met with the same result as his first lawsuit, for the same reasons.
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