Johnny Somali (Image credit: YouTube)

American YouTuber Johnny Somali24, has apologized for kissing a statue in Seoul, South Korea, commemorating Korean victims of wartime sexual slavery. The kiss video, which was posted on his YouTube channel, sparked outrage among viewers.
“I would like to apologize to the Koreans. I didn’t understand the meaning of the statue,” Somalian said in a video posted on Jcompany’s YouTube channel on Thursday. He explained that his actions were intended to entertain his American audience. The video shows Somalis bowing to the statue at Changdong History and Culture Park and saying in Korean, “I’m really sorry for being disrespectful.”
Despite his apology and interest in learning more about Japan’s wartime history of sexual slavery, some viewers remain unconvinced of Somalia’s sincerity. Their skepticism stems from Somalia’s failure to remove other controversial content from its social media accounts.

This includes a photo on his Instagram account, originally captioned “I defeated the Koreans for you, Shinzo Abe,” showing a Somali holding a photo of the former Japanese Prime Minister. Although the YouTube post has been deleted, the Instagram caption has been changed to “RIP Shinzo Abe!” from Friday. Other controversial content, such as a video of Somalis dancing in a subway, also remains on his account.

Seoul Mapo police confirmed on October 31 that Somalia was under investigation for obstruction of business over his behavior at a supermarket, according to The Korea Times. In addition to an investigation into alleged violence and drug use, Somalia is currently not allowed to leave South Korea due to an ‘exit ban’.