Controversial streamer Johnny Somali pleads guilty in South Korean court

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After a prolonged wait, contentious live-streamer Johnny Somali stood before the court for his due appearance, admitting guilt to the charges against him which he had been aware of, following incidents that caused turmoil in South Korea.

On the 7th of March, 2025, Ramsey Khalid Ismael, better known as Johnny Somali, arrived at court an hour behind schedule. He was dressed in an overly large suit and sported a MAGA hat, which he was instructed to take off on several occasions.

As reported by YouTube attorney Legal Mindset, Somali admitted guilt for hindering business operations and breaching two separate minor offenses in the Minor Crimes Act, while residing with his roommate Hank Yoo.

Meanwhile, it’s said that Somali was unaware of the added charge for hindering business activities filed against him and sought to postpone his next court hearing to April 9 instead.

Yesterday marked Ramsey’s initial court appearance, where he arrived an hour behind schedule accompanied by his roommate Hank. Surprisingly, neither Ramsey nor his attorney were aware of the new accusations, leading them to reschedule the next hearing for three weeks from now, on April 9th, in order to prepare adequately. Meanwhile, Johnny admitted his guilt regarding all the previous charges.

— Legal Mindset (@TheLegalMindset) March 7, 2025

Johnny Somali shows up to court hungover

Somali intended to broadcast the hearing on Parti, but this action could potentially label him as in contempt of court.

A day prior to the trial, he announced on the app that there was an arrangement being made for him to broadcast his court hearing.

As a gamer, I’m excited to share that Johnny Somali from South Korea will be live-streaming his court appearance today through the platform Parti. He announced this on the same day and even the owner of Parti confirmed it. The trial is scheduled for 10:10 AM, and he’s said to have been drinking continuously for 3.5 hours without a break, according to some comments I’ve seen. #johnnysomali

— ジョニーリマソ (@canceljohnnys) March 6, 2025

He expressed, “Now’s the time for me to make amends.” He continued, “I plan to strive towards being a more virtuous person. The court case is set to begin tomorrow, and I will broadcast the proceedings live.

Shortly before the court case commenced, Somali once more went live on Parti, only this time he became extremely intoxicated to the extent that he vomited in a friend’s home.

7th of March, around 5:00 AM in South Korea – On the day Johnny Somali (Ramsey Khalid Ismael) was expected to appear at the courthouse for his trial, he ended up getting extremely drunk instead and vomited profusely inside Hank Yoo’s apartment. LOL! What a fool! You couldn’t invent such a thing! #johnnysomali

— johnnysosmally (@johnnysosmally) March 6, 2025

For several months, Somali caused trouble throughout South Korea by creating annoying streams that infuriated not only the nation’s political leaders and general public, but also a retired member of the Korean Special Forces who managed to knock out the streamer in an unmissable video.

In Fall 2024, Ismael ignited widespread controversy in South Korea when he planted a kiss on the Statue of Peace, a tribute honoring South Korean victims who were subjected to sexual enslavement by Japanese military personnel during World War II.

During a meeting in the nation’s parliament on October 30, this event was brought up, and shortly afterward, the streamer faced intense scrutiny from the police.

His broadcasts provided police with valuable evidence and led to numerous accusations against him. The specific charges haven’t been disclosed yet, but in two of his live streams, he created disturbances at a 7-Eleven store and in another instance, he is said to have delayed a bus by playing loud music within it.

As a gamer, I understand the stakes when it comes to business dealings. If found guilty of obstructing them, I might face a maximum sentence of five years in prison. However, considering the complexities of my trial, there’s a possibility that I could be looking at double that time – a full ten years behind bars.

Beyond the existing accusations, Somali’s contentious broadcasts have also included numerous other occurrences that might lead to additional charges being brought forth in the future.

Thus far, he’s been accused of violating anti-terrorism laws, threatening to sexually assault female streamers, drug use, creating AI deepfakes of other creators, violating the Railroad Act and even spreading North Korean propaganda.

Before embarking on a trip to South Korea, Ismael was expelled from Japan due to similar misconduct. Later, he acknowledged that he had lied about the earnings from his broadcasts in a Japanese court.

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2025-03-07 07:24