A photo shared by singer Yoo Seung-jun, right, on social media, Oct. 1 / Captured from Instagram

Korean American singer Yoo Seung-jun (Steve Yoo), who has been banned from entering South Korea for 22 years due to evading military service, posted on social media on Armed Forces Day, Tuesday, expressing his love for Korea.

In his Instagram post, Yoo wrote, “Someone asked me, ‘Why can't you forget Korea?' If I say it's because I miss and love Korea, will I be misunderstood again?” He added, “I'm really sorry for causing pain to everyone. Today, for some reason, I've shed a lot of tears.”

He continued, “Even after all these years, it seems I can't forget you because the love I received from you was far greater than the love I gave.”

Yoo's post follows a statement from his legal representative on Sept. 28, revealing that the Korean Consulate in Los Angeles had again refused to issue him a visa — his third attempt to return to Korea.

Yoo's team plans to file another lawsuit to challenge the decision, calling the visa denial an illegal act and a violation of his human rights.

Yoo, who debuted in 1997, lost his Korean citizenship after acquiring U.S. citizenship in 2002, leading the Ministry of Justice to ban his entry into Korea. His attorney, Ryu Jeong-seon, argued that the government's actions should be based on law, not public sentiment.

Yoo was a highly popular figure in the late 1990s and early 2000s with his energetic dance music, but allegations of military evasion ignited public outrage.

Korean American singer Yoo Seung-jun / Captured from Instagram

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.