American YouTuber is jailed for 6 months in South Korea on public nuisance charge

AsiaAmerican YouTuber is jailed for 6 months in South Korea on public nuisance chargeJohnny Somali, 25, a self-proclaimed internet troll, had enraged South Koreans by kissing a statue honoring tens of thousands of women forced into wartime sexual slavery by Japan.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00American YouTuber Johnny Somali arriving at court in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday.YONHAP / AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 15, 2026, 7:33 AM EDTBy Stella Kim and Jay GanglaniSEOUL, South Korea — An American livestreamer who enraged South Korea by kissing a statue honoring women forced into wartime sexual slavery was jailed for six months Wednesday on public nuisance and other charges. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Johnny Somali, 25, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, had been barred from leaving South Korea since his indictment in 2024. On Wednesday, he was detained immediately after his sentencing on a range of offenses that also included distributing sexual deepfakes, according to the Seoul Western District Court.The self-proclaimed internet troll is best known for posting provocative videos on platforms including YouTube and Twitch, several of which have banned him. During a visit to Seoul in 2024, Somali drew outrage when he posted a clip of himself kissing and making sexual gestures toward a statue commemorating the tens of thousands of Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese forces during World War II.The issue is extremely sensitive in South Korea, a key U.S. ally in Asia that continues to demand an apology from Japan. A handful of those who were enslaved, who have also been referred to euphemistically as “comfort women,” are still alive.Somali later apologized, saying he was unaware of the statue’s significance, and the clip was removed. But he continued to stir controversy in South Korea, with local media reporting he had been...