American “nuisance live streamer” Ramsey Khalid Ismael, better known as Johnny Somali, has been sentenced to six months in jail in South Korea.
The self-proclaimed internet troll, known for his provocative behaviour while travelling oversees, caused outrage when he kissed a statue representing World War II sex slaves.
Seoul authorities filed multiple charges against the 25-year-old for public nuisance in November 2024 after Ismael posted a clip of himself kissing and performing lap dances on the statue while visiting South Korea.
The monument, the Statue of Peace, is a memorial that commemorates “comfort women” - the victims of sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II.
After this incident, Ismael apologised, saying he was “not aware of the significance of the statue”. However, many doubted his sincerity – especially because he challenged locals to fight him, made sexist comments, harassed people in the streets and streamed obscene videos while investigations were ongoing.
He has been barred from leaving the country since then.
Now, a South Korean court has sentenced him to six months of prison labour, 20 days of detention, and five-year employment restriction at institutions related to children and the disabled.
"The defendant repeatedly committed crimes against unspecified members of the public to generate profit via YouTube and distributed the content in disregard of Korean law," the court said, according to South Korean media.
Ismael had previously been accused of harassing people while travelling in Japan, taunting locals with comments on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was also detained at a 2024 protest in Tel Aviv for making inappropriate remarks towards a female police officer.
