A controversial American live-streamer is facing the prospect of prison in South Korea for his offensive antics, in a case that is shining a light on the rise of so-called “nuisance influencers” seeking clicks overseas.

Ramsey Khalid Ismael, 24, commonly known by his online alias, “Johnny Somali,” has been indicted of causing a “commotion” at a convenience store, Seoul prosecutors confirmed to CNN. If convicted he faces up to five years in prison.

A departure ban has also been placed on Ismael, preventing him from leaving the country while authorities continue their investigation, CNN affiliate MBC News reported.

CNN has reached out to Ismael for comment. It is unclear if he has an attorney.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      16 days ago

      Dude was yelling shit about how the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were a good thing at random Japanese people too apparently.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    Earlier this month, Ismael posted an online apology after he was accused of desecrating a South Korean monument to women subjected to sexual slavery in World War II, causing widespread outrage in the country.

    Angry locals threatened reprisals against the live-streamer in online posts following the incident. Footage subsequently broadcast by CNN affiliate JTBC showed Ismael being kicked as a group of people followed him. Separately, a man was arrested in Seoul last month for allegedly punching Ismael in the face, the Yonhap News Agency reported. Seoul police declined to comment.

    I hope the judge not only decides the guy at the end is innocent, but gives him a fucking medal.

    The amount of colossal privilege you must think you have to think you can just desecrate a memorial to rape victims…

    • buttfarts@lemy.lol
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      15 days ago

      This guy isn’t getting out of Korea intact. Koreans are the least pussy culture when it comes to condoning vindictive violence. He’s gonna catch a life-altering beating in SK before this is over.

    • PennyRoyal@sh.itjust.works
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      16 days ago

      I’m not sure rotting is going to be an option. You reckon any of those Korean cons are going to be happier to see him than the guys who’ve been hunting him down on the outside? I don’t, and these dudes don’t have to follow a twitch stream to know where he is. I reckon he’s going to gain a new understanding of what the comfort women went through pretty quickly. My money wouldn’t be on him surviving a 16yr stretch in all honesty

  • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
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    16 days ago

    The live-streamer has a combined following in the low five figures across Instagram, TikTok and Rumble.

    So he’s nobody. Why is CNN even writing about this?

    • Stopthatgirl7@lemmy.worldOP
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      16 days ago

      Because dude has been a nuisance in three damn countries now. I live in Osaka, and so many of us foreigners here completely hate that effer because he’s making us look bad. He was all over the news here because of the way he was acting.

    • thefartographer@lemm.ee
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      16 days ago

      Nobody is nobody. A story like this raises awareness. Both lets people know that one of our own (rightfully) got himself detained in South Korea and tells people to stop being shitheads for likes. Unless you’re running for president, then they’ll give you free publicity!

      • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
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        16 days ago

        I mean, this also sounds like free publicity. The kind that would turn this nobody into a celebrity. After all, we’re talking about him.

        • boyi@lemmy.sdf.org
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          16 days ago

          This has been covered previously by some sites but it doesn’t put much weight on the issue. But when the mainstream media start to cover a story like this, we knows that it’s no longer small talks: My previous take.

        • Chozo@fedia.io
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          16 days ago

          He’s already a celebrity, though. Just because you didn’t know of him doesn’t change that. Tens of thousands of followers is a lot of people.

          • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
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            15 days ago

            The article said low five figures across 3 different platforms, I took that as the same 3500 or so people follow him everywhere

    • futatorius@lemm.ee
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      15 days ago

      He’s a nobody regardless of his number of followers. I hope the South Koreans do the right thing, and if there’s anything left of him afterwards, no need to send it back here.

    • orcrist@lemm.ee
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      15 days ago

      The problem is not that he has relatively low followers. The problem is the actions that he does spread beyond his fan base. He’s doing bad things to people, he’s making Americans in those countries look bad, and now maybe he will face justice.

  • calabast@lemm.ee
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    16 days ago

    American eh? Nope, I don’t recognize him. Do what you want with that one, it’s fine by us.

  • xep@fedia.io
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    16 days ago

    Can we go after the platforms that are the underlying reason for their behaviour also? In this case, I believe it’s Rumble. Edit: Tiktok, too.

  • x00z@lemmy.world
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    16 days ago

    Somehow I wish he doesn’t get imprisoned because this vigilante stuff is far more fun.