American streamer jailed for public nuisance

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — An American YouTuber who caused outrage for filming himself kissing a statue commemorating Korean wartime sex slaves has been sentenced to six months in prison for public nuisance and other offenses, a court in Seoul said on Wednesday.

Johnny Somali, 25, gained notoriety several years ago for recording himself doing a series of provocative stunts in South Korea and Japan, and streaming them on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch.

South Korean authorities indicted Somali — whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael — in 2024 on public order violations and obstruction of business, and banned him from leaving the country.

“The court has sentenced him to six months in prison,” a representative of the Seoul Western District Court told Agence France-Presse when asked about Somali’s case on Wednesday.

The court said in a later statement that his charges included violating the Minor Offenses Act — which covers a wide variety of public order crimes — obstruction of business, and distribution of false video content.

Somali previously built a viral internet following while engaging in disruptive acts such as spilling cup noodle soup on a table at a Seoul convenience store and playing loud North Korean music in public.