Controversial American YouTuber Johnny Somali has been sentenced to six months in jail in South Korea for public nuisance and other crimes.
Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismail, issued an apology as he walked into the courtroom on Wednesday.
Somali issued an apology as he walked into the courtroom on Wednesday, with local media reporting that he said: “I am remorseful… I want to apologize to the people of Korea. And I want to change my life and become a better person.”
Johnny sparked outrage for filming himself kissing a statue commemorating Korean wartime sex slaves, and the YouTuber has been sentenced to six months in prison, a Seoul court said on Wednesday.
Johnny, 25, gained notoriety several years ago in South Korea and Japan for recording himself performing a series of provocative stunts and streaming them on platforms like YouTube and Twitch.
South Korean authorities accused Somali of violating public order and disrupting trade in 2024 and banned him from leaving the country.
According to a report by AFP“The court sentenced him to six months in prison” on charges of violating the Minor Offenses Act – which includes a variety of public order crimes – obstruction of trade, and distribution of false video material.
In October 2024, Somali uploaded a video of himself kissing and twerking near the statue, which led to strong public reaction and condemnation and the clip was later removed.
Somali apologized at the time, saying he “was not aware of the significance of the statue”.
But according to reports, attitudes towards him remained unforgiving and he was sometimes followed and even physically attacked by angry South Koreans.
