Logan Paul has apologized for posting what appears to be a body hanging from a tree in a Japanese forest known for suicides, CNN reported, but it doesn't seem to have quelled the social media outrage against him.
Paul, who has removed the video from YouTube, said on the clip that he and his group had come upon a body hanging in the Aokigahara forest, according to CNN.
The BBC News reported that many on social media called the video, which garnered millions of views Sunday before it was taken down, "disrespectful" and "disgusting." Paul has more than 15 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, noted the BBC News.
The criticism was widespread, led by award-winning actor Aaron Paul.
In his apology posted Monday, Paul claimed that he wanted to raise awareness about suicide and that he was "misguided by (the) shock and awe" portrayed in the video, CNN wrote.
The BBC News wrote that Japan has one of the highest rates of suicide in the developed world and that the Aokigahara has a reputation in the country and internationally as a destination for people allegedly committing suicide.
Japanese officials have avoided providing data on the number of suicides in the area in an effort to prevent publicizing it, the BBC News said.