Steve Yoo attends the 'Da Bing Xiao Jiang' Photocall during day six of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on February 16, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo : Getty Images/Pascal Le Segretain)
Former pop star Steve Yoo, who is also known as Yoo Seung-Joon, has been denied re-entry into South Korea. The Korean-American singer gave up his citizenship in order to avoid mandatory military service.
Yoo was vilified for giving up his nationality and becoming an American citizen just as he was called up for military service in 2002. The South Korean government considered it an act of desertion and the singer was deported and banned from entering into the country permanently, according to The Straits Times.
In an attempt to appeal the ban, the musician filed a lawsuit with a Seoul-based Court, challenging the refusal of a visa by a South Korean consulate in the Unoted States. However, the judge dismissed Yoo's lawsuit and ruled against him on Sept. 30, Friday.
"If Yoo returns to South Korea and resumes activities, it will demoralise soldiers who are devoting themselves to serving the country, while provoking teenagers to evade the conscription," the Yonhap News Agency quoted the Seoul Administrative Court as saying. The court also added that if Yoo is allowed back into the country, it would have a negative impact on social cohesion.
In South Korea, it is mandatory for every physically fit male citizen aged between 18 and 35 to complete two years of military duty. Attempts to avoid the mandatory military conscription by the rich and famous in any way are strongly criticized by the public.
Pop star Rain was publicly denounced after he was found to be flouting military regulations by slipping out of barracks on multiple occasions to meet his actress girlfriend. "Gangnam Style" hitmaker Psy was also made to serve twice after it emerged that he was promoting his showbiz career during his first spell. To learn more about South Korea's mandatory military service, watch the video below:
