Appeals court upholds 6-month sentence for YouTube provocateur Johnny Somali 

YouTuber Johnny Somali — who met with widespread opprobrium in Korea for antics that included insults directed at a memorial for victims of wartime sexual slavery — was again sentenced to prison in his appeals trial on Thursday. 

The Seoul Western District Court upheld a six-month prison sentence handed down in the first trial against the 25-year-old, whose legal name is Ismael Ramsey Khalid. He was indicted on charges of obstruction of business, distribution of fabricated sexual content and violations of the Minor Offenses Act.

Khalid was convicted for disrupting operations at a convenience store in Mapo District, western Seoul, in October 2024 by playing music at a high volume and spilling cup noodle broth onto a table. He was also convicted of causing disturbances on buses, subways and at an amusement park and for posting obscene videos online.

His behavior toward the Statue of Peace — a memorial to victims of wartime sexual slavery — including kissing the statue and twerking next to it, drew widespread public condemnation but was not included in the charges.

At his first trial in April, Khalid was sentenced to 6 months in prison with labor and an extra 20 days of detention, along with a five-year employment ban at institutions related to children, adolescents and people with disabilities.

He appealed for leniency, saying he wanted to return to the United States, but the court rejected his plea.

BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]