YouTuber Learns the Hard Way Not to Kiss Statues Overseas

A US YouTuber whose antics in South Korea have sparked repeated outrage is now headed to jail there for six months. A Seoul court on Wednesday sentenced 25-year-old "Johnny Somali," whose legal name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, on charges including public nuisance and distributing sexual deepfakes; he was taken into custody immediately after sentencing, per NBC News. He's also been ordered to spend an additional 20 days in detention and is prohibited from working with children and individuals with disabilities for five years. The AP reports that Somali has been accused, among other things, of bothering patrons at an amusement park and blaring music inside a convenience store.

Somali, who describes himself as an online troll and has been banned by multiple platforms, drew particular fury in 2024 after filming himself kissing and making sexual gestures at a statue honoring Korean "comfort women" forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II. He later said he was sorry, claiming he didn't understand the monument's meaning, but he continued posting provocative content—from calling South Korea a "vassal state" of the US to waving a Japanese Rising Sun flag and saying "Japan should reoccupy Korea," per NBC. Prosecutors had vied for a three-year sentence, but judges cited the lack of serious harm to victims in giving him a lighter sentence, reports the Korea Herald.