Johnny Somali pled guilty at a Seoul court to multiple charges linked to disruptive and offensive stunts that the controversial American streamer did across South Korea last year.
Ramsey Khalid Ismael, 24, better known by his online alias Johnny Somali, was hit with a travel ban in November 2024 for “causing a commotion at a convenience store” the previous month.
He had allegedly confronted a store worker who asked him not to drink alcohol there and made sexist remarks.
The streamer gained notoriety in South Korea for provocative stunts, including kissing and twerking near a statue honouring the victims of wartime sexual slavery in Korea, during his visit to the Changdong History and Culture Park in Seoul.
He apologised for that stunt after facing backlash. “I want to apologise to Koreans. I didn’t understand the significance of the statue,” The Korea Times reported Somali as saying in a YouTube video.
He claimed that his intention was to entertain his American audience but admitted his behaviour was disrespectful. “I’m truly sorry,” he said in Korean.
Many social media users doubted the sincerity of his apology, a sentiment that persisted after his recent court appearance.
Somali arrived an hour late for his hearing claiming he had a stomachache, state news agency Yonhap reported. He was asked to remove his red “Make America Great Again” hat as wearing hats in courtrooms wasn’t permitted.
The streamer proceeded to answer questions posed to him with his hands in his pockets and had an “uncooperative attitude”, Yonhap said.
The case will be heard again on 9 April, with the court advising Somali to “arrive on time for the next hearing”.
“I hope a fair final judgment is made to prevent such incidents from happening again in the country. A strong punishment must be imposed to set an example,” Seo Kyoung Duk, professor of general education at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul, wrote on social media.
Somali, who has been banned from multiple social media platforms, is known for travelling to different countries only to perform controversial and disrespectful stunts.
In addition to the store incident that he was indicted for, Somali has been accused of streaming himself disrupting a live music performance in the country and playing music related to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, walking up to pedestrians with a bag of foul-smelling fish, and playing loud music on public transport.
He has been attacked on at least three occasions in South Korea, once by a man with a background in the Korean navy’s Underwater Demolition Team.
