Consul General of LA, "Yoo Seung-joon continues to refuse visa issuance."

The issue of issuing a visa to singer Yoo Seung-joon, who has been banned from entering the country for 22 years due to his avoidance of military service, has become controversial again during the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's parliamentary audit of the Consulate General in Los Angeles and LA.

At a parliamentary audit held at the Consulate General in LA on the 19th local time, Democratic Party member Cha Ji-ho asked the Consulate General's legal basis for the decision to continue refusing to issue Yoo's visa, saying, "I understand that it is sensitive, but Yoo is not a foreigner, but an overseas Korean."

In response, Consul General Kim said, "It is clearly stipulated in the Overseas Koreans Act, and the case of him (Yoo Seung-joon) is a case subject to the regulation."

"In order to issue a visa, entry must not be prohibited, and the ban is decided by the Ministry of Justice," he said. "After the Supreme Court ruling, we checked with the Ministry of Justice whether to ban entry and received a reply from the Ministry of Justice that it would maintain it."Consul General Kim

said Yoo's overseas Korean qualifications also had problems with interpretation, adding, "After the Supreme Court's judgment, we did not allow it because we considered the opinions of relevant ministries and related laws and regulations as a whole."

In a similar case, Cha asked if there were any cases where overseas Koreans' visas were not allowed, and Consul General Kim replied, "There are many such cases."

Then, Cha said, "I'm not talking about Yoo's case, but now Korea is trying to create a very inclusive policy for overseas Koreans, unlike foreigners," adding, "The purpose is to make them receive various support within our Korean people."

"The legal purpose of overseas Koreans' visas is to be at least more inclusive and less discriminating than other foreigners, but please double-check whether there are any more discriminatory factors than foreigners," he said. "I hope that will be one of several criteria when judging visa issues."

Yoo, who debuted in April 1997, lost his Korean citizenship after leaving the country for the purpose of performing in 2002, obtained U.S. citizenship, and the Justice Department restricted him from entering the country.

Afterwards, Yoo applied for a visa to the Consulate General of LA in 2015 as a resident status of overseas Koreans, but was rejected, and he filed a lawsuit asking for it to be canceled and won.

After the Consulate General of LA refused to issue visas again, Yoo filed a second cancellation lawsuit and finally won the Supreme Court again in November last year.

However, the Consulate General of LA again refused to issue Yoo's visa, and Yoo's side protested, saying, "The administration continues to take illegal measures in defiance of the court's ruling, which is not only a violation of human rights against Yoo Seung-joon, but also a serious problem that undermines the foundation of the rule of law."