Johnny Somail prosecuted “aggressively” in South Korea with more charges stacking

Controversial streamer Johnny Somali has been hit with an extra charge ahead of his December trial in South Korea, and the prosecution is moving more “aggressively” than usual.

Johnny Somali, real name Ramsey Khalid Ismael, has made a name for himself in the streaming world as one of its biggest troublemakers, having been arrested in Japan, Israel, and just recently South Korea.

Primarily, he sparked a nationwide controversy after he began kissing and inappropriately touching a Statue of Peace – a monument to victims of sexual slavery by Japanese forces during WW2.

At the time of writing, he’s been accused of violating the country’s anti-terrorism laws, drug use, creating AI deepfakes of streamers, violating the Railroad Act, assault and even spreading North Korean propaganda.

The content creator was charged with obstruction of business for a chaotic convenience store stream inside a 7-Eleven, but he’s been hit with yet another charge ahead of his December 20, 2024 trial in Seoul.

According to lawyer Legal Mindset, a YouTuber covering the Somali situation, the fact that another charge has been added so quickly is a big indicator that South Korea isn’t playing around.

Johnny Somali hit with new charge in South Korea as trial looms

On December 4, Legal Mindset reported that South Korea added a charge for Violation of the Minor Crimes Act to his trial.

“This is a sign the prosecution is AGGRESSIVE, as this is way faster than this normally would proceed,” he explained.

Speaking with Dexerto, the lawyer noted how this indicates the prosecution is “moving to add as much as they can against him.”

Although the punishment for this offense will likely be nothing more than a fine if convicted, this addition makes his alleged crimes look even worse overall.

“It’s highly likely they are adding charges as they review more video. It’s also likely we see more crimes added, whether as part of this case or as a separate case against him,” Legal Mindset noted.

“As a reminder, Ramsey cannot leave Korea until ALL crimes have been fully investigated and either sent to trial or dismissed.”

TikTok/johnnysomali

Johnny Somali could be trapped in South Korea for a long time.

Many of the alleged crimes Somali is being investigated for carry significant jail time, so the streamer could be stuck in Korea for years depending on how the legal proceedings play out.

At the same time, Somali is a marked man in the country, having been assaulted on a few occasions, including once by a YouTuber who was part of the Korean Special Forces.

The YouTuber, Dalgeun Yu, filmed himself knocking Johnny Somali out and was arrested by the police for the attack. He later justified the assault by saying he “did what I had to do as a Korean citizen.”