Lee Seung-chul Denied

The singer’s talent agency, Jin&Won Music Works, said Lee was detained for four hours. An immigration official told him he was being denied entry because of “unspecified recent media reports” about him but did not elaborate.

Lee then said he would publicly protest this “unjust” action, at which point a different immigration official mentioned that Lee had gone to jail for smoking marijuana 20 years ago. Lee’s management told media it thinks immigration blocked his entry, the purpose of which was to visit a Japanese friend, because Lee had performed a song about possible future reunification of the Korean peninsula at a special ceremony on an island both countries lay claim to.

“The entry denial appears to be a retaliatory measure against Lee’s performance … on Dokdo in August and the resulting domestic news reports about the event,” said Jin&Won. The agency added that the immigration official’s alleged citing of Lee’s conviction for marijuana was problematic because Lee has visited Japan 15 times since he was jailed and has even held concerts in Japan over the last decade or so.

The agency also asked why Lee’s wife, who has not been convicted of any crime, was held with him while he was denied entry. So far, the Japanese press has not reported the incident.