"Anti-Korea YouTuber Who Spread Fake News Such as 'Mutilated Bodies in Korea' Announces Plan to Naturalize in Japan"

"I Always Wanted to Become Japanese"... Announces Naturalization Plan
Ongoing Trial Over Spreading False Information About Public Safety in Korea May Affect Outcome

A YouTuber known as an "anti-Korea YouTuber" for spreading false information and making defamatory statements about Korea has revealed plans to naturalize as a Japanese citizen. However, the YouTuber stated that if they are convicted in the ongoing criminal case under investigation, they may not be granted permission for naturalization.

Jo (33), the operator of the YouTube channel 'Korean Teacher Daebojjang', released a video on July 30, stating, "I have decided to give up my Korean citizenship and naturalize as a Japanese citizen. I've wanted to become Japanese for the past seven years." Jo further explained, "It's not an easy decision because giving up my nationality will remove my name from my family relationship certificate. However, after postponing it for a long time, I now see no reason to delay any further."

They added, "The naturalization screening process also checks criminal records. If the ongoing investigation goes to trial and ends with a guilty verdict, there is a chance that I may not be granted permission to naturalize."

YouTuber Jo, who is under police investigation for false information, has revealed plans to naturalize in Japan. Screenshot from the YouTube channel 'Korean Teacher Daebojjang'.

'Korean Teacher Daebojjang', operated by Jo, is a YouTube channel primarily targeted at a Japanese audience. It covers Korea-related news and current affairs in Japanese and has about 960,000 subscribers.

On October 22 last year, Jo uploaded a video to his YouTube channel claiming that "37 bodies missing their lower halves were found in Korea," "there are 150 ongoing secret investigations," and "there are as many as 80,000 missing persons in Korea." The video reportedly also claimed an increase in murder and organ trafficking crimes in Korea following the introduction of visa-free entry for Chinese nationals.

A police investigation found that Jo's statements were not based on fact. At the time, Jo explained, "I never instigated conflict or spread fake news. I was simply introducing information and comments found on the internet." Nevertheless, the police determined that the video could spread anti-Korean sentiment by spreading false information, and launched an investigation.

In November last year, the police classified this case as a "serious act detrimental to the national interest." In February of this year, Jo was referred to the prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Framework Act on Telecommunications. This law stipulates imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won for using telecommunications facilities to spread false information in order to gain benefits for oneself or others, or to cause harm to others.

The police also applied for a ‘pre-indictment confiscation preservation order’ so that approximately 3.5 million won in advertising revenue earned by Jo through the video can be recovered as criminal proceeds if recognized as such by the court.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.