Yoo Seung-jun

Yoo Seung-jun
Also known as Steve Yoo
Born (1976-12-15) December 15, 1976
Origin Seoul, South Korea
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • actor
Years active 1997–2002, 2006–present
Korean name
Hangul 유승준
Hanja 劉承俊
Revised Romanization Yu Seung-jun
McCune–Reischauer Yu Sŭngjun

Yoo Seung-jun (Hangul: 유승준; born December 15, 1976),[1] also known as Steve Yoo[2], is a Korean-American singer and actor who became one of South Korea's most popular K-pop singers after his debut in 1997.[3] Yoo's singing career ended in 2002 when he was accused of evading South Korean mandatory military service by becoming a U.S. citizen.[4] He was subsequently banned from entering South Korea, becoming the only person in history to be banned from the country for acquiring another citizenship.[5] Since then, Yoo has been working as an actor in China.[6]

Early life

Yoo was born on December 15, 1976, in Seoul, South Korea. His family moved to the United States when he was thirteen and settled in Buena Park, California. He made demo tapes of his rapping and dance skills and sent these to Brothers Entertainment, where he was eventually scouted and left California to start his career as a singer.

Career

1997: Debut

Yoo made his Korean debut as a singer in 1997. His first album West Side was a hit with the debut single "Gaui" ("gaui" is the Korean word for "scissors" - in this context it translates to "nightmare" as Koreans use the word to describe the rigid sleep paralysis which sometimes accompanies bad dreams). Along with another single "I love you Noona", he won Best Newcomer of the Year in many award ceremonies. Yoo gained popularity with his signature dance move of "Gawi", in which he and his backup dancers lined up diagonally to perform the same moves in unison. West Side ended up selling a million records.

1998

In the summer of 1998, he released second album 1998 V2 for SALE with "Na Na Na" as its lead song, where it and the music video topped the charts. In the video, it featured actress Choi Ji-woo, who played as the internship teacher while he played as the troublesome student. Many consider this album as the most successful of his career, as it won him Best Artist of the Year in multiple award ceremonies. The album again sold 1 million records.

1999

In 1999, he went on to release his third album Now Or Never, which contained the hit single "Passion". Later that year, Yoo released his fourth album, "Over and Over," which contained the hit single "Vision."

2000

During this time, he began to expand his career into China and Taiwan, with the release of single "Can't Wait", which was a collaboration with Taiwanese singer Yuki. Now or Never topped the Korean charts with first week sales of 879,000 albums sold. Setting a record for the highest first week sales ever at the time. The album eventually sold close to 1.5 million units. He also released music videos for two of his Korean songs that year for "찾길 바래" (Wish you could find) & "어제 오늘 그리고" (Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow), the latter showing off a more sophisticated image.

2001

In 2001, he released the single "Wow" from his 6th album "Infinity." Though considered a bit of a disappointment, critically and commercially, compared to his last three albums, "Infinity" still managed to debut at number 1 on the charts with first week sales of 359,961 albums sold. The album has sold over 600,000 copies.

2002: Banishment controversy

Yoo had repeatedly stated on television that he would fulfill his mandatory military service. But in 2002, just before he was to be drafted, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. As a result, the South Korean government considered it an act of desertion, and deported him, permanently banning him from entering the country.

Post-banishment

He now resides in Beijing, China.

In 2006, he was featured on rapper H-Eugene's song "독불장군" (Single Person). The song's music video didn't show Yoo's face, but shows him dancing and his silhouette.

In 2007, he released his seventh album Yoo Seungjun Vol. 7 - Rebirth of YSJ for his fans who stood by him through the highs and lows of his career. The album was produced under the collaboration of production teams from the U.S., China, and Korea.[7] He released singles such as "Missing U," "Breakin' Love," "One For Me" and "Fireworks."

He earned a role in an untitled Taiwanese drama loosely based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel Less Than Zero. In June 2008, Yoo signed a 15-year contract with Jackie Chan's entertainment management company to become an actor. He has since attempted to establish a name for himself in mainland China, while continuing his singing and acting career.[8]

In February 2010, Yoo made his movie debut in Jackie Chan's Little Big Soldier as Prince Wen.[9]

In 2011, in response to an announcement by South Korean television network Seoul Broadcasting System, on holding a public vote on whether Koreans think Yoo should be allowed to come back to Korea, he stated that he has no plans to return.[10]

In December 2013, rumor had it that the ban on Yoo had been lifted and that he would be able to enter Korea. But in January 2014, the Military Manpower Association released a statement flatly denying the allegation.[11]

In 2015, it was announced that Yoo will appear in the film Dragon Blade.

In May 19, 2015, Yoo appeared in a video where he opened up on his side of the story regarding his evading military service back in 2002. He appeared getting down on his hands & knees begging to be accepted back into Korea promising that he'll "do whatever it takes" and that he'll accept any condition the Korean government allows.[12]

In February 23, 2017, following a court hearing, Yoo lost his second and final appeal for having his entry ban lifted, and is no longer allowed to return to Korea, nor he is able to appeal his entry ban in the future.[13][14]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[15]
West Side N/A*
For Sale
  • Released: April 29, 1998
  • Label: Best Media
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 2
Now Or Never
  • Released: April 15, 1999
  • Label: Baeksan Media
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 1
Over And Over 1
Summit Revival
  • Released: November 24, 2000
  • Label: West Side Media
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 3
Infinity
  • Released: August 31, 2001
  • Label: West Side Media
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 2
Rebirth of YSJ — N/A
*Chart positions not available prior to 1998
"—" denotes album did not chart.

Compilations and live albums

  • 98 Live Album (1998)
  • New Release + English Version (1999)
  • All That Yoo Seung Jun (1999)
  • Gold Techno Remix (2000)
  • Hidden Story (2001)
  • Best & J Duet Collection (2001)
  • Yoo Seung Jun 2002 Live (2002)

Filmography

Movies

Television

Awards and nominations

Golden Disc Awards

Year Category Work Result
1997 Bonsang (Best Artist) Yoo Seung-jun Won
1999 Won
2000 Won

Mnet Asian Music Awards

Year Category Work Result
1999 Best Male Artist "Passion" (열정) Nominated
2000 Best Dance Performance "Vision" (비전) Nominated
2001 Best Dance Performance "Wow" Won
Best Male Artist Nominated

Seoul Music Awards

Year Category Work Result
2000 Bonsang (Main Prize) Yoo Seung-jun Won
2001 Won

Music programs

Inkigayo

Year Date Song
1998 June 7 "Na Na Na"
June 14
June 21
June 28
August 2
1999 May 9 "Passion"
May 16
May 30
June 6
July 11 "Sad Silence"
December 19 "Vision"
December 26
2000 January 2
February 13 "Love Song"
February 20
December 24 "I'll Be Back"
2001 January 7
January 14
October 7 "Wow"
October 14
October 21

Music Bank

Year Date Song
1998 June 18 "Na Na Na"
June 25
July 2
1999 April 15 "Passion"
April 22
April 29
May 6
May 13
May 20
July 1 "Sad Silence"
July 8
July 15
December 9 "Vision"
December 16
December 23
2000 January 6
January 13
January 20
January 27
December 21 "Wish You Could Find"
December 28
2001 January 4

References

  1. ↑ "유승준 소개" [Yoo Seung-jun Profile]. Mnet (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-12-25.
  2. ↑ Cho, Jin-hyung (2017-02-13). "Fighting to be able to return home : After enlistment scandal, Steve Yoo is battling to come back to Korea". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  3. ↑ Lee, Sun-young; Yoon, Sarah (2015-05-20). "[Newsmaker] Steve Yoo asks to be taken back". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  4. ↑ Sung, So-young (2015-11-19). "Steve Yoo sues over Korea visa rejection". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
  5. ↑ "Singer Yoo Seung-jun protests lifetime entry ban". Yonhap News Agency. 2015-11-18. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
  6. ↑ Yang, Eun-kyoung (2017-02-24). "Korean-American Singer Stays Barred Over Draft Dodging". The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 2017-12-25.
  7. ↑ Yoo Seungjun Vol. 7 - Rebirth of YSJ album info Archived November 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Yesasia.
  8. ↑ Bae Guk-nam (배국남). "Why is the public still mad at Yoo Seung-jun?(유승준에 왜 대중은 여전히 분노할까?)" (in Korean). MyDaily. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20.
  9. ↑ Young, Al "Jackie Chan + Three Guys + Horse = BIG SOLDIER" Archived August 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Twitch Film. 9 April 2009. Retrieved 2011-11-08
  10. ↑ Seo, Ji-eun "Steve Yoo isn’t coming back to Korea" Archived January 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Joongang Daily. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-08
  11. ↑ Military Denies Report that Yoo Seung Jun’s Ban from Korea Will Be Lifted Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ "Yoo Seung Joon gets on hands and knees to apologize for evading military service" Archived October 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ "Why a K-Pop Legend is No Longer Allowed Back in South Korea" "Nextshark". Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Yoo Seung Joon loses second trial, forbidden to enter Korea" "AllKPop.com". Retrieved October 25, 2017
  15. ↑ "K-Pop Album Sales Volume". Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean).
    • "For Sale charting".
    • "Now Or Never charting".
    • "Over And Over charting".
    • "Summit Revival charting".
    • "Infinity charting".
  16. ↑ "98년 국내 음반시장 결산". Imaeil (in Korean). 1998. Archived from the original on 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  17. ↑ "March-August 1998 Cumulative K-Pop Album Sales Volume". Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2001-09-23. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  18. ↑ "August 1999 K-Pop Album Sales Volume". Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  19. ↑ "March 2000 K-Pop Album Sales Volume". Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  20. ↑ "March 2001 K-Pop Album Sales Volume". Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  21. ↑ "October 2001 K-Pop Album Sales Volume". Recording Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-04-23.
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