A YouTuber has been jailed for a shocking stunt at a World War II sex slave memorial in South Korea.
Johnny Somali – real name Ramsey Khalid – sparked outrage after he filmed himself kissing and doing a lap dance at a statue dedicated to victims of sexual exploitation during the Second World War.
An estimated 200,000 women across Asia were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during the conflict.
Many were Korean, while others came from China, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Taiwan.
These statues, which often depict a young woman sitting on a chair, were installed by activists to honor and remember these women.
He remains an extremely sensitive symbol, especially in South Korea.
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Authorities in Seoul charged Khaled with public nuisance in November 2024 after footage of the stunt was shared online.
Since then he has been barred from leaving the country.
On Wednesday, a court convicted the 25-year-old man on multiple counts and sentenced him to six months in jail.
“The defendants repeatedly committed crimes against unspecified members of the public in order to make profits through YouTube and distributed content in disregard of Korean law,” the court said.
Prosecutors had initially pushed for a three-year sentence, but the judge opted for a lesser sentence.
According to the Korea Herald, the court cited “the absence of serious harm to the victims”.
Khaled will also face restrictions after his release, including a ban on working with organizations serving minors and people with disabilities.
He apologized in 2024, saying he “did not understand the importance of the law”.
The YouTuber, who has nearly 5,000 subscribers, has built a reputation for provocative and controversial content.
Due to this he has been banned on many streaming platforms.
During the investigation, Khalid continued to be criticized.
He posted videos challenging locals to fight him, causing disruption in public transportation and vandalizing a convenience store.
Their history of controversy extends beyond South Korea.
In 2024, he was detained at a protest in Tel Aviv after making inappropriate comments to a female police officer, although he was later released.
A year earlier in Japan, he faced widespread backlash after taunting locals about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the final days of the war.
He was later fined £1,030 for causing a disturbance in a restaurant by playing loud music.
