An American YouTuber known as Johnny Somali has been sentenced to six months in prison by a court in Seoul for filming himself kissing a statue commemorating Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II. The Seoul Western District Court handed down the sentence on Wednesday for public order violations and obstruction of business.
Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, gained notoriety for provocative stunts in South Korea and Japan streamed on platforms like YouTube and Twitch. In October 2024, he uploaded a video of himself kissing and twerking beside a statue of a “comfort woman,” a euphemism for the victims of Japan’s wartime military brothels.
The video sparked strong public backlash and was later removed. Somali apologised, claiming he was unaware of the statue’s significance, but public sentiment remained hostile. Reports indicate he was occasionally chased and physically assaulted by offended South Koreans.
South Korean authorities indicted Somali in 2024 and banned him from leaving the country. In 2023, he also caused outrage in Japan by taunting subway commuters about the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
