The head of the South Korean military conscription agency says an entry ban put on a Korean-American singer for allegedly dodging conscription over 18 years ago should remain in place.

Military Manpower Administration Commissioner Mo Jong-hwa made the remark on Tuesday during a parliamentary audit in response to a question on Yoo Seung-jun by main opposition People Power Party lawmaker Lee Che-ik. 

Emphasizing Yoo's American nationality and calling him by his American name, Steve Yoo, Mo said allowing him in will bring a “great sense of loss” to South Korean soldiers and alienate them. 

Asked whether the authorities have treated Yoo too severely compared to the maximum five-year entry ban on foreigners who have committed a crime, he said military duty is more important. 

In July, the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles refused to issue a visa for Yoo four months after the South Korean Supreme Court acknowledged the entry ban’s “procedural flaws.”

The 43-year-old who used to be among the most popular singers in South Korea drew strong public criticism after he renounced his Korean citizenship in 2002 to allegedly dodge compulsory military service.