U.S. YouTuber gets 6 months in South Korean prison for offensive stunts
A Seoul court found Ramsey Khalid Ismael, a self-proclaimed online "troll" known as Johnny Somali, guilty of multiple charges.
Updated on: April 15, 2026 / 10:45 AM EDT / CBS/AP
An American YouTuber who sparked national outrage in South Korea for provocative stunts, including dancing on a statue honoring victims of World War II sexual slavery, was sentenced to six months in prison by a Seoul court on Wednesday.
Prosecutors had sought a three-year term for Ismael, who also faced accusations of harassing staff and visitors at an amusement park, disrupting a convenience store by blasting music and upending noodles onto a table, causing similar scenes on a bus and subway, and distributing non-consensual deepfake videos .
The court said the 25-year-old displayed "severe" disrespect for South Korean law, noting that he offended countless people with livestreamed stunts aimed at generating YouTube revenue. The court ordered his immediate detention following the verdict, citing him as a flight risk.
In October 2024, Somali sparked public outrage in South Korea after posting a video of himself kissing and performing a lap dance on a statue commemorating victims of the Japanese military's sexual slavery during World War II. He later apologized, claiming he was unaware of the monument's significance.