YouTuber Johnny Somali faces police probe in Korea over assault and drug use allegations

A complaint has been filed against Johnny Somali, a U.S. YouTuber known for his provocative content, including his recent activities in Korea, prompting a police investigation.

Screen capture of Johnny Somali's video uploaded on Saturday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A complaint has been filed against Johnny Somali, a U.S. YouTuber known for his provocative content, including his recent activities in Korea, prompting a police investigation.

According to Korean police on Wednesday, Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, is accused of assault and drug use.

On Tuesday, Ismael posted a photo of a building believed to be Incheon International Airport on his Instagram account, sparking rumors of an attempted escape. Police confirmed that Ismael has not yet left the country.

Ismael is facing backlash for performing offensive acts in public during his travels in Korea over the past month during his YouTube live broadcasts.

On Oct. 9, he uploaded a video of himself kissing the Statue of Peace in Itaewon, Yongsan District, central Seoul, and performing a lewd dance in front of the monument.

The statue represents the tens of thousands of young women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule over Korea. These wartime sexual slavery victims are euphemistically referred to as "comfort women."

Screen capture of Johnny Somali's video uploaded on Oct. 9. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Ismael mentioned the statue again in a livestream on Oct. 15, stating, “Let's just head to this [expletive] comfort woman statue.” He further remarked that he would “put some baby oil on it” and suggested performing a sex act. In the same stream, he interviewed people around Kyung Hee University in Dongdaemun District, eastern Seoul, while displaying the flag of Imperial Japan.

Ismael's YouTube channel was deleted on Monday after it began streaming pornography. The YouTuber claimed on social media platform X that his channel was hacked that same day.

The deletion prompted Ismael to post a selfie holding a photo of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his now-deleted backup channel, “Johnny Somali Live,” along with the caption, “Shinzo Abe! I Defeated The Koreans For You.”

Abe, who was assassinated in Japan while campaigning in 2022, was known for his hawkish attitude toward Korea, including denying that the Japanese government forced Korean women into wartime sexual slavery.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo makes a campaign speech in Nara, western Japan, shortly before he was shot dead on July 8, 2022. [AP/YONHAP]

Ismael has posted other controversial content as well, including sexually harassing women and making racist remarks to passing pedestrians. In one instance, Ismael's companion streamer, Jino, suggested performing oral sex acts on a passing woman.

On Oct. 17, Ismael uploaded a video of himself pouring instant noodles on a convenience store table after an employee stopped him from drinking alcohol in the store. Other antics included playing explicit content on the subway and loudly playing North Korean music on buses.

As his actions escalated, criticism mounted, with other YouTubers and online communities calling for him to be held accountable.

Ismael was eventually struck in the face by a man while livestreaming on Oct. 24 and kicked by another during a broadcast with his Korean acquaintance, Yoo Heon-jong, on Sunday.

Screen capture of Johnny Somali's video uploaded on Oct. 17. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Yoo was previously sentenced to 97 months in jail in the United States after being charged with firearms violations in 2019. He is known in U.S. online communities as “Texas Asian Nazi.”

According to local media reports, one martial arts YouTuber offered a two million won ($1,500) reward for information on Ismael’s location. Although there were claims circulating online that Ismael requested police protection at the Seoul Dongdaemun Police Precinct, police denied this.

As more foreign visitors arrive in Korea, crime by foreigners is also on the rise. According to the National Police Agency’s crime statistics, the number of foreign residents in Korea has increased following the Covid-19 pandemic, with the number of foreign suspects rising from 29,450 in 2021 to 32,737 in 2023.

Under Article Two of the Korean Criminal Act, foreigners who commit crimes in Korea are subject to local laws.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]