South Korea jails US YouTuber Johnny Somali for kissing ‘comfort women’ statue

American YouTuber Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, has been sentenced to six months in prison in Seoul, South Korea, for public order violations and obstruction of business. The 25-year-old gained notoriety for streaming provocative stunts in South Korea and Japan. In October 2024, Somali filmed himself kissing and twerking beside a statue commemorating Korean "comfort women," those forced into sexual slavery by Japanese forces during World War II. This act caused significant public outrage and condemnation. South Korean authorities indicted Somali in 2024 and banned him from leaving the country prior to the sentencing.

American YouTuber Khalid has been jailed in South Korea for public nuisance. The charges stem from multiple incidents, including defacing a statue commemorating "comfort women," women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. Khalid also caused disturbances on public transportation, vandalized a convenience store, and streamed obscene videos in public. Prior to this, he was detained in Israel for inappropriate remarks to a police officer and fined in Japan for disruptive behavior, including taunting locals about the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Despite an apology in November 2024 regarding the statue incident, his actions led to his arrest and subsequent imprisonment in South Korea.