Johnny Somali, an American YouTuber, apologized in a video on Thursday for kissing a statue that symbolizes Korean victims of wartime sexual slavery. Recorded from YouTube

Somali man visits girl statue and apologizes for not understanding its meaning

By KTimes

Johnny Somali, a 24-year-old American YouTuber who sparked controversy in Korea by kissing a girl statue symbolizing Korean victims of wartime sexual slavery, has apologized.

However, despite his apology, viewers are skeptical, noting that Somali has left several controversial photos and videos on his social media accounts.

On Thursday, YouTube channel Jcompany posted a video of a Somali visiting the girl statue at the Changdong History and Culture Park in Dobong District, Seoul, where he apologized to the Korean public.

In the video, Somali said, “I want to apologize to the Koreans. I didn’t understand the meaning of the statue.” He explained that his actions were intended to entertain his American viewers. Standing next to the statue, he bowed and added in Korean, “I’m really sorry for being disrespectful.”

Somali also expressed interest in learning more about the history of Japan’s wartime sex slavery, or euphemistically, the “comfort women,” who survived these atrocities. He said he was willing to meet the survivors in person, interview them and learn about their history.

However, viewers questioned Somalia’s sincerity, noting that he has yet to delete several photos and videos of his controversial actions in Korea from his social media accounts.

Johnny Somali’s Instagram account continues to feature controversial photos as of Friday. / Photographed from Johnny Somali’s Instagram

Somalia recently posted a photo of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with the caption: “I defeated the Koreans for you, Shinzo Abe.” As of Friday, the YouTube post has been removed, but the Instagram photo remains, with the caption changed to “RIP Shinzo Abe!”

Other controversial content includes a video of Somali lying and dancing in a subway train, which has not been removed. While Somali deleted videos of him disrespecting girls’ images and causing unrest in a supermarket – incidents that led to police investigations – some content remains.

Seoul Mapo police said on October 31 that Somali was being investigated for obstruction of business due to his behavior at the supermarket. In addition to a police investigation into alleged violence and drug use, Somalia is currently under an “exit ban” preventing him from leaving the country.

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