American livestreamer Johnny Somali, who caused outrage in South Korea by kissing a statue representing World War Two sex slaves, has been sentenced to six months in jail.
Seoul authorities charged him for public nuisance in November 2024 after he posted a clip of himself kissing and performing lap dances on the statue while visiting South Korea. He has been barred from leaving the country since then.
The 25-year-old, whose real name is Ismael Ramsey Khalid, is known for his provocative content which has led to him being banned from several streaming platforms.
He has also been accused of harassing people while traveling in Japan and Israel.
On Wednesday, a South Korean court convicted Khalid of multiple charges, including public nuisance and distributing sexual deepfakes.
The defendant repeatedly committed crimes against unspecified members of the public to generate profit via YouTube and distributed the content in disregard of Korean law, the court said, according to South Korean media.
Prosecutors had sought a three-year prison term, but the judges handed down a lower sentence while noting the absence of severe harm to victims, The Korea Herald reported.
Khalid has also been barred from working with organizations that serve minors and people with disabilities when he is eventually released.
During World War Two, an estimated 200,000 women across Asia were forced to be wartime sex slaves for Japanese soldiers. Many of these women were Korean, with others coming from China, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Taiwan.
Statues across South Korea, typically depicting a young woman seated in a chair, have been installed by activists to remember these comfort women. These statues have historically caused diplomatic tensions as South Korea has called for reparations from Japan.
Khalid, who has around 5,000 followers on YouTube, previously apologized in November 2024, saying he didn't understand the significance of the statue; however, many users expressed skepticism about his sincerity.
While investigations were ongoing in South Korea, Khalid had challenged locals to fight him, leading to several videos circulating on social media showing him being punched and chased through the streets.
Khalid had previously caused disruptions on public transportation, vandalized a convenience store, and streamed obscene videos in public.
Earlier in 2024, he was detained at a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, for making inappropriate remarks towards a female police officer, but was later released.
While in Japan in 2023, he taunted locals with comments regarding the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, events from the end of World War Two.
In Japan, he was fined 200,000 yen ($1,400) for disrupting business in a restaurant by playing loud music.
