As a long-time observer and follower of the streaming world, I must say that Johnny Somali’s antics have been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. From Japan to Israel, and now South Korea, his story is one that keeps unfolding with more twists and turns than a suspenseful novel.
U.S. YouTube personality and former Kick streamer, John “Johnny Somali”, has garnered significant attention during his travels in South Korea; however, this isn’t positive attention as he is currently barred from departing the country, awaiting a court hearing.
After evading significant repercussions in Japan and Israel, the questionable actions of live-streamer Johnny Somali have ultimately led to consequences during his stay in South Korea.
It appears that his ability to avoid major problems came to an end upon his arrival in South Korea in September 2024, as he’s since found himself at the heart of multiple contentious events, drawing the scrutiny of the South Korean authorities.
Who is Johnny Somali?
24-year-old John Doe, commonly recognized as Johnny Somali on the internet, is a live-streamer who frequently uses inflammatory and disrespectful language during his travels, such as Japan and presently South Korea.
He began streaming in May 2023 before quickly gaining a massive following. However, his fanbase had trouble finding his content after he was banned first from Twitch, and then again from Kick, which typically has much more relaxed rules about content creation. Now, Johnny streams on an alternative platform, Rumble.
Johnny Somali’s rule of intimidation in the streaming sphere started in the year 2023, marking a time when he caused distress in Japan and Israel through his live streams on Kick. This led to several encounters with law enforcement agencies.
Somali arrived in South Korea in September 2024 and immediately brought attention to himself.
What did Johnny Somali do?
Initially, Somali made his debut in Korea during September, and since then, he’s been at the heart of multiple disputable occurrences, stirring up a fair amount of controversy.
Kicked off a subway and kissed sexual slavery monument
On September 30th, I found myself unceremoniously evicted from a subway train by South Korean police officers. I was on my way to Lotte World, excited to join a K-Pop dance class, and had been sharing the journey with my online audience via streaming. Unfortunately, as I boarded the train, my text-to-speech donations unexpectedly began broadcasting loud, inappropriate sounds, causing quite the commotion.
Next, he moved forward in the train carriage, shouting repeatedly, “George Floyd, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.” This caused many fellow passengers to glance at him curiously. A passenger even approached him, requesting that he keep a lower voice on public transit.
9/30, 11:52 AM
JohnnySomaliX @ジョニーソマリ starts KoreaIRL day4
Plans to head to Rotterworld for a KPOP dance class, later to meet up with Bongbongirl
Trouble caused by inappropriate sounds and TTS over the subway system.— ジョニーリマソ (@canceljohnnys) September 30, 2024
In just a short while, the police encircled the streamer and guided him away from the train, appearing unfazed by his appeals, as he tried to clarify that he was live-streaming.
Oh dear, my friends, I’m feeling quite overwhelmed, explained Somali in his chat. This situation is absolutely insane! The police have arrived unexpectedly. We need to quickly leave and take a taxi.
Later on, his actions caused great upset within the local community when he was seen affectionately kissing the Peace Statue, a notable landmark that commemorates South Korean victims who suffered sexual slavery at the hands of Japanese soldiers during World War II.
As reported by Korea JoongAng Daily, Somali was officially accused of obstructing commercial activities but not held in custody during the indictment process.
Throwing noodles and abusing employee in 7-Eleven
In a now-deleted video posted on October 17th across Somali’s social media platforms, there was footage of her engaging in disruptive behavior at a 7-Eleven store. This included playing loud music, intentionally spilling ramen, tossing noodles against the wall, and exchanging heated words with a female employee, making sexist remarks towards her.
A clip of this has since been republished onto other social media platforms, such as X.
In South Korea, obstructing business can result in imprisonment for up to five years.
Deepfaking an AI girlfriend
As a devoted fan, I find myself pondering about the potential consequences if a streamer were to create an AI girlfriend using deepfake technology. In South Korea, such actions could lead to severe penalties, including imprisonment for up to seven years and a hefty fine of approximately 25 million won ($22,000 USD).
As a passionate fan, I found myself caught off guard when South Korean creators began aiming their criticism squarely at me and occasionally attacking me on a few instances.
Although Somali has apologized for his actions, stating he wasn’t aware of the statue’s significance (the Statue of Peace), there’s a strong sense of skepticism among Koreans due to his past.
Streamer banned from leaving South Korea
Over time, these occurrences led South Koreans to take action themselves by physically attacking him. A popular Korean YouTube personality even offered a 770-dollar reward for any information about his location, encouraging further confrontations.
Currently, the streamer who was prohibited from Kick streaming has also been restricted from traveling abroad. This restriction applies regardless of his intentions, as his streams have drawn the attention of South Korea’s parliament. As per Yahoo, he is currently under investigation for charges related to assault and narcotics use. If found guilty, this streamer could potentially face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
If this case proceeds to a trial, it will mark the second time Somali has appeared in court within an Asian nation. Following his trial in Japan, Somali confessed to having lied to the judge about his financial situation, stating that he wasn’t earning money through streaming and was instead producing “documentaries.
Despite Somali expressing regret for his actions, asserting he was unaware of the statue’s significance – the Statue of Peace – some Koreans question his genuine remorse, considering his past record.
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2024-11-13 17:50