South Korean prosecutors have indicted influencer-troll Johnny Somali after he caused a ‘commotion’ in a grocery store.
The 24-year-old influencer, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, has built an online audience by hurling insults and provocative comments as he travels abroad, particularly in Asia.
Ismael has been banned from several livestreaming platforms, including Twitch and Kick, for his stunts.
In a series of videos posted to Instagram last month, he was seen drinking alcohol in a convenience store before pouring instant noodles.
Though the initial video was deleted from his page, Ismael left a video of him cleaning the mess up, with the caption: ‘I AM INNOCENT. THE KOREAN GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA IS CORRUPT. I AM THE OJ SIMPSON OF ASIA. THE NORTH KOREAN STATE MEDIA WONT SHOW THIS CLIP.’
The 24-year-old influencer, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, has built an online audience by hurling insults and provocative comments as he travels abroad, particularly in Asia
He has also streamed himself kissing the country’s Statue of Peace during a live video
Ismael has been banned from several livestreaming platforms, including Twitch and Kick, for his stunts
In the video, he appears to be on the phone with an associate, telling him: ‘Let me clean this s*** up, I made a big mess. Let me clean this s***.’
South Korean prosecutors said he will face a trial, and has been banned from leaving the country, though he has not been detained.
It comes after Ismael was banned from leaving South as authorities investigate him over drug claims.
After receiving reports on an emergency hotline accusing the streamer of drug use, cops quickly commenced investigations.
Korean law firm Lee & Lee claimed if Somali is found guilty, he could face 10 years in prison or a fine of up to 100 million won ($95,000).
The streamer, from Arizona, was also discussed in South Korean parliament last month after a string of videos appeared to show him wreaking havoc in the country.
One member of parliament questioned whether there will be any legal consequences following his actions, which include disrespecting a memorial statue and pouring ramen on the floor of a convenience store.
Somali, real name Ramsey Khalid Ismael, rose to fame in the East Asian country for his disruptive and often offensive stunts
Somalia has previously said he would perform lewd acts on a statue, reports the Korea JoongAng Daily
He has also streamed himself kissing the country’s Statue of Peace during a live video – a memorial honouring Korean comfort women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War 2.
The following week, he reportedly applied baby oil to the statue, while suggesting that he would perform lewd acts on it, reported Korea JoongAng Daily.
‘We are monitoring Johnny Somali,’ the parliament chairman said.
It came after Somali was reportedly taken into custody for his own protection at the end of last month, after a live stream showed him being assaulted by someone in a mask.
His alleged attacker, who has since been reported as being a rival YouTuber from Japan – was arrested and clips online later showed Somali in the back of a police car.
The streamer can be seen drinking Soju, being disrespectful to officials, and infuriating locals in footage circulating on social media.
‘Americans have way more freedom here,’ he was heard saying in one clip.
American YouTuber Johnny Somali has previously been banned from leaving South Korea as authorities investigate him over drug claims
Somali was reportedly taken into custody for his own protection at the end of last month, after a live stream showed him being assaulted by someone in a mask
The controversial streamer was discussed in South Korean parliament last month after videos appeared to show him wreaking havoc in the country
‘These n****s protecting us, we in the back of a police car. Come and get us! Come get us!’
Cops later told local media, ‘We plan to investigate the related complaints.’
The incident became the third time Somali had been attacked in a week, having been beaten in Seoul on two separate occasions the week before.
A Dexerto report claimed Somali had been charged with two counts of assault and drug use – which he has vehemently denied.
‘I was never charged with assaulting anyone, this is a warning to remove this post and article or I will pursue legal action,’ he wrote of the report on X.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
