American YouTuber sentenced to 6 months in South Korean prison for offensive stunts
AP | April 15, 2026SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An American YouTuber who sparked national outrage in South Korea for provocative stunts, including dancing on a statue honoring victims of wartime sexual slavery, was sentenced to six months in prison Wednesday.
The Seoul Western District Court found Ramsey Khalid Ismael, a self-proclaimed internet “troll” known online as Johnny Somali, guilty of multiple charges, including obstruction of business and distributing fabricated sexually explicit content.
Prosecutors had sought a three-year term for Ismael, who also faced accusations of harassing staff and visitors at an amusement park, disrupting a convenience store by blasting music and upending noodles onto a table, causing similar scenes on a bus and subway, and distributing non-consensual deepfake videos.
The court said the 25-year-old displayed “severe” disrespect for South Korean law, noting that he offended countless people with livestreamed stunts aimed at generating YouTube revenue.
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Johnny Somali
Trolled from his bed
And got dragged to the police station
When the PoPo found out
They began to shout
And they started the investigation.
And he’s on his way
He don’t know where he’s goin’
He’s on his way
He’s doin’ some time, but he don’t know where
Goodbye, Ramsey!
The Queen of Cornholia.
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