The American YouTuber known as Johnny Somali takes questions from the press outside the Seoul Western District Court on April 15, 2026, as he arrives for his final trial on disorderly conduct and other charges. (Yonhap)
A Korean appeals court upheld a six-month prison sentence for American YouTuber Johnny Somali, who infuriated many Koreans with inflammatory behavior such as kissing a memorial statue for victims of the “comfort woman” system of sexual slavery. On Thursday afternoon, the Seoul Western District Court sentenced Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, to 20 days of detention and six months in prison, mirroring the district court’s sentence. Somali was convicted of obstructing business, violating the Minor Offenses Act and distributing obscene material under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.The judge also upheld a five-year ban on Somali being employed at organizations serving children, teenagers or people with disabilities, but reversed the confiscation of his mobile phone.“The defendant asserts that the lower court’s sentence was too severe, and the prosecutors that it was too lenient. We reject both appeals except for the part about reversing [the mobile phone confiscation],” the judge said.Just as in the initial trial, the prosecutors had requested a three-year prison term.Somali was charged with obstructing business operations by blocking people from boarding rides at the Lotte World amusement park, in Seoul’s Songpa District, in September 2024 and by playing loud music and spilling broth from a cup of instant noodles onto a table at a convenience store that October. He was also charged with repeatedly inciting disturbances in public places, including on the street and on public transportation, and with producing and distributing an obscene deepfake video that combined the faces of a man and woman.By Park Chan-hee, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
