Korean YouTuber Daud Kim cancels building of mosque after facing opposition from locals

Renowned Korean YouTuber and influencer, Daud Kim,who converted to Islam in 2019, has shelved his plans to build a mosque on Yeongjong Island in Inchon city after facing opposition from local residents.

Earlier, Daud Kim, who boasts 5.52 million subscribers on YouTube, called for donations to buy a piece of land to build a mosque in South Korea.

In an Instagram post, he mentioned about including a prayer space and a studio for his dawah podcast for Koreans.

Recently, taking to his Instagram account, Kim announced that he had refunded all the donations he had received. While maintaining his innocence, he highlighted that he has neither wronged anyone, nor local authorities have ever conferred any punishment over him.

He stated that he encountered problems after he announced the construction of a mosque. Kim then requested his fans to "not be fooled by the lies of those who fear the spread of Islam in Korea."

Kim emphasised that his endeavour was solely for the sake of Allah's pleasure.

He affirmed his unwavering commitment to the cause, undeterred by the authorities' decision to revoke the mosque's allotment.

According to reports, Kim recently purchased a piece of land for 189.2 million won (roughly $136,500), measuring 284.4 square meters.

It came to light that Kim made an initial deposit of 20 million won with the intention of finalising the purchase next month. 

However, both Kim and the seller agreed to cancel the contract. The landowner reportedly expressed a lack of knowledge regarding X's plans to build a mosque on the property.

Kim then took to social media to address the situation directly with his followers, offering an explanation on the matter. 

In 2019, Daud, formerly known as Jay Kim, made a surprise announcement on his social media that he decided to change his faith to Islam. 

He lives in South Korea and has more than 3.5 million followers on Instagram.