Johnny Somali’s “AI” Korean Girlfriend Which Could Land Him in Jail for 7 Years, Explained
Johnny Somali once again came to headlines but this time the accusations are much bigger than they were previously.
- Johnny Somali is one of the most controversial streamers who has been banned not only from streaming platforms but also from entering cities.
- This time the US streamer has disrespected one Korean sacred statue.
- Currently, he is under investigation with a ban to leave the country until it ends.
An unthoughtful action may bring severe consequences. As the world progresses forward, live streaming is becoming a popular method of earning an occupation and connecting to the audience. While it is helping them to earn money, at the same time, these streamers are getting massively popular where each and every activity goes through scrutiny. Each wrong step brings immense criticism and fallacies.
A similar situation was created when Johnny Somali did something controversial and hurt the emotions of a group of fans who belonged to the same nationality. It was even so intense that it could bring a seven-year jail sentence.
Who’s Johnny Somali: Identity & Fan-Following
If you are a fan of watching travel vlogs, Johnny Somali may not be a stranger to you. Ramsey Khalid Ismael, aka Johnny Somali, is an American live streamer best known for his overseas vlogs and, most importantly, his proactive behavior during these vlogs.
This 24-year-old vlogger is not someone with a very clean image. Therefore, twists and turns are part of his career. Despite having around 18.4 million subscribers on YouTube and 13 thousand followers on Kick, he got banned on both platforms.
Initially, he started his journey on Twitch in 2010, and after getting a permanent ban there, this streamer turned to Kick. Once again in May 2024, he got a temporary suspension on Kick and YouTube. So, currently, you will find him streaming on Rumble.
Controversies That Caused Him Bans on Multiple Platforms
Streamers getting banned on Twitch is not unusual, and how controversies can take streamers down is another concept that Dr Disrespect has proven already. It looks like this 24-year-old American streamer is also eventually following this path.
The first time, he drew the disputes during his travels to Japan. He made an unthoughtful comment on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and said that once again the US could do this with nuclear weapons, but he didn’t just stop there. In June 2023, he went forward and played a song containing the “atomic bomb” phrase during his stay at Tokyo Disney Resort and recorded the expression of the audience without their permission.
He has a list of disputed things he did during his travels to Japan. The next time, he created controversy when he visited Israel. There he was banned for 50 days from Jerusalem, and also Kick banned him for a week.
After all these, once again he caused a controversy for a random action that hurt the emotions of all Koreans.
Johnny Somali Kissed a Korean Cultural Statue Inappropriately
This is not the first time the blogger has offended Korean people. Previously, following his Seoul trip, he talked about his wish to slap the BTS members. Changdong History and Culture Park in Seoul is one of the well-known tourist locations that people love to visit. There you probably have seen the Statue of Peace, one of the most renowned historical statues that contains emotional attachments from the Korean people.
The Statue of Peace symbolically represents the hardships of “comfort women,” a term that represents those who have suffered s*xual slavery during Japan’s occupations in Korea. During World War II, Korean women were forced to become s*x slaves by the Japanese military. This painful episode continued for more than three decades, from 1910 to 1945.
Therefore, the Statue of Peace is closely related to Korean culture and history. This controversial US streamer kissed this statue, which was an ultimate expression of disrespect for Koreans. Naturally, it caused an immediate backlash, and the streamer was arrested by the Korean Police. As sources reported, he has been facing a ten-year imprisonment with a ban from leaving the country until the investigation ends.
The public’s anger was justified considering Johnny Somali’s insensitive and disrespectful behavior toward the entire nation by kissing a statue that represents a dark and painful era of Korean women.
Johnny Somali Apologized but That Didn’t Fix Anything
As the emotional outburst got out of hand and imprisonment landed, The Korea Times reported that Johnny Somali apologized to the fans and the entire nation by bowing down in front of the statue and expressing, “I want to apologize to Koreans. I didn’t understand the significance of the statue.” To justify his action, he said it was not intended to hurt anyone’s belief but was to entertain his US audience.
Further, he mentioned that he is eager to learn more about comfort women and wanted to meet and interview those who had survived this brutal and dark time of s*x slavery. However, this apology didn’t clear anything.
Fans are still unsure of his sincerity in this apology. His Instagram still has the post where the streamer is holding a photo of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and stating he has defeated Koreans on Abe’s behalf. Well, the post is still there on his Instagram; only the caption has changed to, “RIP Shinzo Abe!”
The Seoul police are currently investigating his case, and he can’t leave Korea until this investigation ends. This will probably teach this ruthless streamer a good lesson.
