SEOUL, South Korea — An American YouTuber has been sentenced to six months in prison by a South Korean court after being found guilty of a series of disruptive and offensive acts filmed for online audiences.
Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, was convicted by the Seoul Western District Court on multiple charges linked to what prosecutors described as “nuisance streaming.”
The 25-year-old had been indicted in 2024 and barred from leaving the country as investigations and trial proceedings unfolded.
The court handed Somali a six-month prison sentence, along with 20 days of detention, and ordered a five-year ban from working in institutions involving children, adolescents, and people with disabilities.
He was taken into custody immediately after the ruling, with the court citing concerns that he posed a flight risk.
“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, adding that the evidence supported all charges.
Prosecutors had sought a harsher sentence of three years in prison and a fine, but the court imposed a lighter penalty, noting the “absence of severe harm to victims”.
Among the most controversial incidents was a video filmed at the Statue of Peace in Seoul, a site that commemorates Korean women forced into sexual slavery during the period of Japanese occupation before and during World War II.
The video, uploaded in October 2024, showed Somali kissing the statue and making sexually suggestive gestures, actions that sparked widespread outrage in South Korea.
He later issued an apology and removed the video.
“I want to apologise to Koreans. I didn’t understand the significance of the statue,” he said in a YouTube video at the time, adding that his only intention was to entertain his American audience.
The conviction also covered a series of other incidents across Seoul, including:
- Playing loud music and spilling food at a convenience store in Mapo district
- Disrupting passengers on buses and subway trains
- Causing disturbances at Lotte World, where rides were temporarily halted
He was additionally found guilty of distributing sexually explicit deepfake content, an allegation he denied, and obstruction of business.
The court ruled that Somali was guilty on all eight charges brought against him.
Somali first gained notoriety in Japan in 2023, where he filmed himself engaging in provocative behaviour, including playing racist songs on public transport and making offensive remarks.
He was arrested by Osaka police for trespassing, though the charges were later dropped, and was fined for obstructing business.
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He later travelled to several countries, including Thailand and Israel, before arriving in South Korea in September 2024.
At a court hearing in March 2025, Somali arrived late and was denied entry for wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, later making provocative remarks including: “I am an American citizen. And Korea is a vassal state of America.”
The case highlights growing efforts by South Korean authorities to curb disruptive online content and hold creators accountable for behaviour that violates public order and cultural norms.
Legal experts note that the rise of “nuisance streaming,” where individuals stage controversial acts for views, has prompted stricter enforcement measures in several countries.
