A popular Indonesian YouTuber has sparked controversy online after visiting Japan’s “suicide forest” and “pulling a Logan Paul” in an apparent bid to gain more views and ad revenue money.
In his latest video, aspiring rapper Qory explored the infamous Aokigahara Forest in Japan with his friends in search of the dead bodies of suicide victims.
Dubbed the “suicide forest,” the area is known for being one of the world’s most popular suicide spots.
While many YouTubers have filmed harmless exploration videos at Aokigahara in the past, Logan Paul’s vlog — which involved filming a dead man while giggling and cracking jokes — went viral earlier this year, generating widespread controversy.
In the video uploaded on his channel, Qorygore, the vlogger opened by saying, “no dead bodies, no fun,” to let his audience know that he was there to emulate Paul’s viral stunt.
Qory did eventually find a dead body and, in true Logan Paul fashion, proceeded to made jokes about it along with his friends, Coconuts Media reports.
“I went all the way to Japan. This is Logan Paul 2.0” he said.
“I went all the way to Japan. This is Logan Paul 2.0” he said.
While the video received over 600,000 views in just two days, YouTube eventually took it down after receiving backlash on social media.
Indonesian netizens have criticized Qory for disrespecting the dead and capitalizing on others’ misfortunes for fame and money.
In response to his critics, Qory appeared on another YouTuber’s podcast to say he secured a permit to film in the forest and was even allowed to film dead bodies if he found any.
“It was a pile covered by a raincoat like a pocong (Indonesian ghost). Because I respected the dead body, I didn’t get really close to him,” Qory was quoted as saying. He noted that he included the part where he discovered the body to “trigger” his audience.
Meanwhile, Ewing HD, one of Qory’s friends who appeared on the video, posted a statement on his own channel to apologize “for any offense” they caused. He added that he is struggling with his own mental health issues.
