Korean Muslim YouTuber Daud Kim’s plans to build a mosque in the western port city of Incheon has come to a grinding halt after it received backlash from local residents. Following the backlash, the land purchase contract he signed has been cancelled upon the request of the landowner, according to a report by the Korea Times.
YouTuber Daud Kim, or Kim Jae-han then agreed to cancel the contract with the property owner. The property owners wanted the contract cancelled and said that he did not know about Kim’s plans to build a mosque.
Kim posts about living as a Korean Muslim and has made a fan following on YouTube with over 5.52 million subscribers and 3.5 million Instagram followers from his posts.
He purchased 284.4 square metres of land on Incheon’s Yeongjong Island for 189.2 million won ($136,500).
He posted a video on YouTube and Instagram where he told his followers that he paid a deposit of 20 million won in advance and will pay the remainder of the amount the coming month.
“Finally with your help, I have signed a contract for land to build a Masjid in Incheon. I can’t believe this day has come. I plan to build a prayer place and Islamic podcast studio for Dawah to Koreans,” he said.
He also shared his bank information online, seeking donations from his subscribers. The local community, however, protested against the construction of the mosque which lies near schools and residential areas.
The opposition to his plans to build a mosque were further exacerbated by local news media reports resurfaced a sex crime he committed in 2019. He was allegedly prosecuted for attempting to rape a foreign woman.
The video on TikTok posted by the victim where she talks about the attempted rape went viral again and drew attention to his actions. Kim tried to explain that the case was closed and the indictment was suspended after he apologized to the victim and said the victim did not want him to get a punishment.
The Korea Muslim Federation (KMF), the only Islamic organization officially registered with the Korean government, last week told the Korea Times that Kim’s plans to build the mosque is his personal project.
“All Masjids across the country associated with the Korea Muslim Federation are registered under the name of the KMF, and nobody is allowed to register in the name of an individual or raise funds for the construction of the Masjid,” the group said in the announcement.
The Korea Times in its report said there are 19 mosques in Korea which cater to some 35,000 Korean Muslims and 150,000 Muslims of foreign nationalities who live there.
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