A U.S.-South Korean dual citizen who has violated six deportation orders from Canada was sentenced Monday for his latest transgression.
Junseo Hagh, 21, was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to returning to Canada without authorization and failing to appear for an examination to determine whether he was allowed to return to Canada.
The sentence is equivalent to time served with credit for the six months Hagh has served in pre-trial custody.
Hagh first arrived in Canada in February 2016 on a study permit, but his legal immigration status expired in February 2021.
Since December 2022, Hagh, who also goes by Ethan, has violated six deportation orders, according to facts presented by Crown prosecutor Michelle Liu in a joint sentencing submission.
U.S. immigration lawyer Christine Jurusik says she’s alarmed that a U.S. citizen was able to return to Canada numerous times in violation of repeated deportation orders but says his case is an anomaly.
The most recent incident, for which Hagh was charged on Monday, was on Jan. 8, 2025.
He was removed from Canada and put on a flight to Los Angeles International Airport.
Less than 24 hours after his plane landed, on Jan. 9, U.S. Border Patrol agents observed Hagh in the U.S. but near the border to Canada.
The agents cautioned him to move away from the border, but later in the evening saw him entering Canada illegally, according to Liu. The facts did not specify how or where Hagh entered into Canada.
On Jan. 10, a police officer encountered Hagh at Lougheed Town Centre mall in Burnaby, B.C., and contacted Canada Border Services Agency.
He was arrested at the mall on Jan. 15 by a CBSA officer. He was found with five rounds of 9 mm ammunition on him, as well as a receipt for two types of ammunition from a Bellingham pawn shop.
Defence lawyer Roy Kim said Hagh has a stress disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, which causes him to “incessantly spit” and noted he also suffers from micro-seizures.
Kim said Hagh can only consume liquids and not solids, which caused his time in custody to be “exceptionally difficult and challenging.”
Kim said Hagh understands he can no longer enter and reside in Canada illegally and added he has been specifically deterred by his time in custody.
“He is fully remorseful for his actions.… I submit that this court will not see Mr. Hagh again in the future.”
Kim said he understands CBSA will deport Hagh to South Korea following the sentencing.
“He is prepared to start a new life in South Korea.”
While his parents, who live in Los Angeles, will support him financially, Kim said Hagh does not want to live near them.
“Mr. Hagh does not wish to reside with them or near them, or in the same country, because he is afraid that he will be closely monitored by his parents.”
Kim added if Hagh is deported to the U.S., he would “immediately” begin the paperwork to move to South Korea.
Judge James Sutherland endorsed the joint submission.
He said entering guilty pleas was a mitigating factor in the sentencing, as were Hagh’s mental and physical challenges, while his “poor” record with numerous deportation orders was an aggravating factor.
The judge noted Hagh was convicted twice last year of the same charges and spent time in jail both times.
“Good luck, Mr. Hagh,” Sutherland said.
