Ramsey Khalid Ismael — better known as Johnny Somali, the infamous American streamer arrested in Japan, Israel, and South Korea for his provocative behavior — has been imprisoned in South Korea.
Found guilty of all charges in a South Korean court, Ismael — who describes himself as a “troll” — has been sentenced to six months in a labor camp, plus an additional 20 days of detention. He will also be deemed a sex offender for five years following a deepfake sex video he posted online, and is unable to work with organizations related to minors, adolescents, and disabled people after release.
The 25-year-old was charged for public nuisance in November 2024 after reportedly kissing the Statue of Peace, a memorial to victims of sexual slavery, and performing lap dances on said statue. It followed similar stunts in Tel Aviv, Israel, where he made inappropriate comments to a female police officer, and in Japan, where he taunted residents about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Consequently, he’s been banned from pretty much all streaming platforms, including Twitch, Kick, Rumble, and Parti.
Ismael did apologize for the stunt in Korea, saying he was “truly sorry for having been disrespectful,” but was banned from leaving the country under probation rules as authorities investigated him. He was ultimately charged with eight counts — two counts of special act of sexual violence crimes, two minor crimes, and four counts of interference of business — and went to court on March 7.
Ismael was certain he wouldn’t be imprisoned, saying in a stream: “I know for a fact that I’m not going to go to jail. Not one day in jail. I’m going to laugh my ass off when all these motherf***ers are saying I’m going for 30 years, 20 years, five years, 10 years. I’m not even going to do one day, bro. They’ll give me a fine and say, ‘Don’t come back to Korea.’ You’re the one that’s going to look so dumb when I don’t get any jailtime or anything. Bro, I’m going to laugh like a f**king villain.
“I did go there. I recognized all the charges. I said I was guilty. I did say all that s**t because it’s going to be a fine. I’m just going to pay it and leave. You can’t go to jail for this s**t. You can’t.”
Proescutors had initially targeted a three-year sentence, but the judges lowered the stakes given the “absence of severe harm to victims.” According to the BBC, the court told local media: “The defendant repeatedly committed crimes against unspecified members of the public to generate profit via YouTube and distributed the content in disregard of Korean law.”
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
