SEOUL – The YouTuber who calls himself Johnny Somali, and faced public backlash in 2024 in South Korea for his videos showing him kissing a “comfort woman” statue – representing victims of wartime sexual slavery – and doing other controversial actions, admitted to all three charges against him during the first hearing in his trial last week, according to local reports on March 10.
According to Yonhap, the 24-year-old American streamer, whose real name is Ramsay Khalid Ismael, arrived an hour late for the hearing, which was scheduled to begin at 10am on March 7 at Seoul Western District Court, citing a stomachache.
He was wearing a red Make America Great Again hat, the symbol and slogan of US President Donald Trump. He was asked to remove it, because wearing a hat is not allowed in South Korean courtrooms.
Mr Seo Kyoung-duk, professor of general education at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul, who is known for promoting Korean culture and history of his own accord, claimed that the US streamer, while attending the hearing, displayed inappropriate behaviour, including responding to the judge’s questions while having his hands in his pockets.
Ismael is accused of causing a commotion by playing loud music and spilling cup noodle soup on a table at a convenience store in Mapo-gu, Seoul, in October 2024, according to the Seoul Western District Prosecutor’s Office.
He is also accused of upsetting multiple pedestrians by carrying a foul-smelling bag of fish in the streets, and playing loud music on buses and subways, all in the same month.
The South Korean law enforcement authorities, while imposing a travel ban on him, have indicted him without physical detention on three charges including obstruction of business.
Ismael’s lawyer said he pleads guilty to all the charges and the court told him to be on time in the next hearing, Yonhap reported.
“I hope a fair final judgment is made to prevent such incidents from happening again in the country,” said Mr Seo. “A strong punishment must be imposed to set an example.”
Ismael faced public backlash in South Korea for uploading videos and live streams that angered Koreans. Among them are videos of him kissing the “comfort woman” statue and praising the Rising Sun Flag, a symbol associated with the Imperial Japanese Army during its colonial rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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