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cross-posted from: https://piefed.zip/c/news/p/1395876/streamer-troll-johnny-somali-found-guilty-on-all-counts-sentenced-to-south-korean-prison-l

Ramsey Khalid Ismael — better known as Johnny Somali, the infamous American streamer arrested in Japan, Israel, and South Korea for his provocative behavior — has been imprisoned in South Korea.

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[-] FederatedFreedom1981@lemmy.ca 156 points 1 month ago

Good, these are the types of guys that go "It's just a prank bro" or "It's a social experiment" except it isn't. It's just you being an inconsiderate jerk.

[-] fonix232@fedia.io 59 points 1 month ago

yeah, the kind that sets you on fire, shoots your wife and sells your children to Epstein, then goes "it's just a prank bro".

There's tons of light-hearted, harmless pranks out there. A good laugh where everyone goes away a little bit happier.

This guy and his ilk on the other hand intentionally antagonise people to the point where they feel the need to defend themselves. Just because someone is out and about in public doesn't mean they're a free target for you to be shitty with them. Everyone has - or at least should have - the right to be unbothered in public by leeches like him.

[-] FederatedFreedom1981@lemmy.ca 27 points 1 month ago

People should also have the right to fight back with extreme prejudice if these morons lay hands on them first.

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[-] bort@sopuli.xyz 141 points 1 month ago

"I know for a fact that I'm not going to go to jail. Not one day in jail. I'm going to laugh my ass off when all these motherf***ers are saying I'm going for 30 years, 20 years, five years, 10 years. I'm not even going to do one day, bro. They'll give me a fine and say, 'Don't come back to Korea.' You're the one that's going to look so dumb when I don't get any jailtime or anything. Bro, I'm going to laugh like a f**king villain.

amazing.

[-] bcgm3@lemmy.world 30 points 1 month ago

He got 6 months, so he wasn't too far off, unfortunately.

[-] bort@sopuli.xyz 31 points 1 month ago

at the end of the day, his only crime is being annoying. He didn't kill someone, didn't steal anything, etc. So 6months seems fair.

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[-] Vandalismo@lemmy.world 95 points 1 month ago

Mf was so annoying they sent him to the gulag

[-] FederatedFreedom1981@lemmy.ca 24 points 1 month ago

If they do a prisoner exchange with North Korea anytime in the near future, they should send this guy to them. Just because. Maybe it will teach the arrogant US citizens to behave better in other countries.

Note, I'm not saying that about the US citizens that are considerate human beings.

[-] Linktank@lemmy.today 37 points 1 month ago
[-] FederatedFreedom1981@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 month ago

Exactly. It's just the natural consequences of a social experiment.

[-] AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world 89 points 1 month ago

Apparently he kissed a statue of a woman that was built as a memorial to all the south Korean women that were raped by the Japanese during their colonial rule. In case anyone was wondering what he did to end up in jail.

I'm willing to bet he knew exactly what that statue was a memorial for.

[-] piranhaconda@mander.xyz 46 points 1 month ago

"and performing lap dances on said statue" per the linked article

[-] HeroicBillyBishop@lemmy.ca 20 points 1 month ago

fuuuuk this guy

too bad it wasn't where they cane you for stupid shit

I would watch that video

[-] magnue@lemmy.world 78 points 1 month ago

This guy is like a reverse hostage. Countries will threaten to release him if they don't get what they want.

[-] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 25 points 1 month ago

It's an SCP. The containment procedure is to livestream his location at all times and make it legal for everyone to beat him up.

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[-] Bad_Ideas_In_Bulk@lemmy.world 65 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Now that he's convicted, an interesting question might be "is there enough evidence to convict him in other countries who have extradition treaties with South Korea?"...

I have limited sympathy for people who make their living by bothering people.

[-] frongt@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Probably, but that's generally not done. He's been convicted and after he serves his sentence he'll be deported, which means he probably won't be given a visa to enter any other country.

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[-] LoafedBurrito@lemmy.world 58 points 1 month ago

This made my day. He thought he was untouchable and now is in a forced labor camp for 6 months.

Dude is just one of the worst humans.

[-] HugeNerd@lemmy.ca 22 points 1 month ago

Forced labor camps in South Korea is just a legal term.

https://www.corrections.go.kr/corrections_eng/1905/subview.do

They're not cracking rocks with sledgehammers in the desert.

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[-] thorhop@sopuli.xyz 57 points 1 month ago

Norwegian philosopher Arne Ness said it best:

"There is no freedom without responsibility - in fact, the two are intrinsically the same."

[-] CluckN@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

Swedish philosopher Ane Nuss once said, “pffft”.

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[-] vantablack 29 points 1 month ago

okay. controversial opinion time

this was all extremely dickish troll behavior but i don't think A PRISON CAMP is necessarily the most rehabilitative experience. punitive justice doesn't fucking work and nobody deserves to be put through A PRISON LABOR CAMP regardless of how much of an annoyance they were being

in an ideal world there would mechanisms in place to educate this fuckhead without needlessly traumatizing and brutalizing him. sensitivity training. cultural education. empathy and dignity. true justice that will actually change his behavior

but prison camp? i bet he's gonna come outta this twice as much an enormous douchebag

[-] IEatDaFeesh@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I agree with your sentiment but when a human being is this antagonistic towards every country he visits then it's justified. Definitely a slipper slope moment but just look at this:

Ismael was certain he wouldn't be imprisoned, saying in a stream: "I know for a fact that I'm not going to go to jail. Not one day in jail. I'm going to laugh my ass off when all these motherf***ers are saying I'm going for 30 years, 20 years, five years, 10 years. I'm not even going to do one day, bro. They'll give me a fine and say, 'Don't come back to Korea.' You're the one that's going to look so dumb when I don't get any jailtime or anything. Bro, I'm going to laugh like a f**king villain.

"I did go there. I recognized all the charges. I said I was guilty. I did say all that s**t because it's going to be a fine. I'm just going to pay it and leave. You can't go to jail for this s**t. You can't."

It's so hard to be sympathetic to this piece of trash. Plus it seems like he's not even doing 3 years. He's fine.

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[-] a9249@lemmy.ca 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Its not about punishing the guy. It is about sending a message that this will not be tolerated. Also, different cultures are different, culturally.

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[-] Zetta@mander.xyz 16 points 1 month ago

Link shared by somebody else down below, but it's not really a labor camp as you might be thinking. It's more of a rehabilitation into the workforce program.

https://www.corrections.go.kr/corrections_eng/1905/subview.do

[-] Atomic@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 month ago

Please... he got 6 months for all the shit he pulled. It was so much more than just dickish trolling.

He deserved far more. He got off easy. But it serves two purposes. For one, korea got their message across. Don't come here to fuck around. And second, they don't want to pay for him being in their prison.

In an ideal world, people don't pull this shit to begin with. So we're already well past an "ideal world scenario". It's not this guys first rodeo. These people will never learn unless they face some real, actual consequences.

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[-] MrSulu@lemmy.ml 25 points 1 month ago

The great tragedy is that S Korea commuted his 3 year potential sentence to just 6 months.

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[-] sleepmode@lemmy.world 24 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Used to frequent a streaming site for telestreaming robots. I remember the owner getting excited when Ice Poseidon contacted them because of his popularity, thinking it would help traffic. Community warned her it was playing with napalm. She invited him anyway. It only attracted a shitload of griefers, incels and filth that never fully went away after he quickly became bored and left. Site was never the same.

This piece of shit was somehow even more annoying so you love to see it.

[-] palmtrees2309@lemmy.world 23 points 1 month ago

Finally some good news in 2026

[-] kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 1 month ago

I'll be glad when everyone forgets about this guy in two days and I don't have to see his dumb face in my feed anymore.

Literally never heard of them until just now.

[-] sturmblast@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago

Sounds like he deserved it

[-] HeroicBillyBishop@lemmy.ca 18 points 1 month ago

ahahahahaha

fafo

[-] k0e3@lemmy.ca 16 points 1 month ago

Just cut his balls off and send him up North.

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[-] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 15 points 1 month ago

A South Korean prison labor camp seems a fitting destination for all influencers and YouTube trolls.

[-] Gorilladrums@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

Good, idiots like this deserve to face the consequences of their actions

[-] Apocalypteroid@anarchist.nexus 14 points 1 month ago

FAFO 4 U LOL

[-] altkey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 month ago

Dude's like all you hate about social media craze and tourist's exceptionalism in one person. Find out part may seem sweet at last, but he is a mere symptom waiting for reproduction unless there are enough barriers in place he won't be able to fall through. Barriers in not taking him behind the bars alone or at all, but educating, demotivating, ostracizing and deplatforming.

[-] INHALE_VEGETABLES@aussie.zone 14 points 1 month ago

I know this would be cruel and unusual but live stream him the entire time and donate proceeds to relevant charities.

[-] GarboDog@lemmy.world 13 points 1 month ago

Only 6 months tho we think

[-] BlackPenguins@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

Keep in mind, it's only 6 months. Hollow victory.

[-] Echinoderm@aussie.zone 45 points 1 month ago

Spending 6 months of your life in prison is not insignificant. Incarceration is a serious punishment.

[-] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

He has to register as a sex offender when he eventually gets deported to the US... lmfao

[-] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 42 points 1 month ago

So you're saying he has a future career in government?

[-] WereHacker@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 month ago

Nope. The orange man only like pink people.

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this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2026
566 points (100.0% liked)

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