Yoo Seung-Jun has won yet another round in his decades-long legal fight to enter South Korea. An appeals court ruled in his favor in his lawsuit seeking to cancel the government’s refusal to issue him an entry visa.
According to a report by MK Sports on October 9, the decision raises the possibility that the singer could set foot in Korea for the first time in 24 years. He has been barred from entering the country since 2002, when he acquired U.S. citizenship and was swept up in a draft-dodging controversy.
On October 9, Yoo addressed the news directly on his social media. “It’s already been 24 years, and I’ve become a father of four,” he wrote. “When I was young, I had the desire to regain popularity, but now I just want to meet the people I love again.”
“Even though we can’t turn back time, I don’t want to erase even the memories,” he added. “I wanted to say directly that I’m sorry for hurting you.”
Despite the string of favorable court rulings, public reaction remains cold. Criticism of the draft-dodging controversy has followed him for decades and continues unabated, the report noted.
Whether the ruling will actually lead to his return to Korea — and whether he can win over the hostile public opinion — remains to be seen.
