YouTuber Johnny Somali is facing a police investigation in Korea over assault and drug abuse allegations

Screenshot of Johnny Somali's video uploaded on Saturday. (SCREEN RECORDING)

A complaint was filed against Johnny Somali, a US YouTuber known for his provocative content, including his recent activities in Korea, which led to a police investigation.

According to Korean police on Wednesday, Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, is accused of assault and drug use.

On Tuesday, Ismael posted a photo of a building believed to be Incheon International Airport on his Instagram account, sparking rumors of an escape attempt. Police confirmed that Ismael has not yet left the country.

Ismael is facing backlash for committing offensive acts in public during his YouTube live broadcasts while traveling in Korea last month.

On October 9, he uploaded a video of himself kissing the Peace Statue in Itaewon, Yongsan District in central Seoul and performing a lewd dance in front of the monument.

The statue represents the tens of thousands of young women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during Japan's colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945. These victims of wartime sexual slavery are euphemistically referred to as “comfort women.”

Screenshot of Johnny Somali's video, uploaded on October 9th. (SCREEN RECORDING)

Ishmael mentioned the statue again in a livestream on October 15, stating, “Let's just go to that (expletive) comfort woman statue.” He further noted that he would “put some baby oil on it” and suggested they perform a sexual act. In the same stream, he interviewed people around Kyung Hee University in Dongdaemun District in eastern Seoul as they displayed the flag of Imperial Japan.

Ishmael's YouTube channel was deleted on Monday after he began streaming pornography. The YouTuber claimed on social media platform X that his channel was hacked the same day.

The deletion prompted Ismael to post a selfie with a photo of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his now-deleted backup channel, Johnny Somali Live, along with the caption, “Shinzo Abe! I defeated the Koreans for you.”

Abe, who was assassinated in Japan during his 2022 election campaign, was known for his aggressive stance against Korea, including denying that the Japanese government forced Korean women into sexual slavery during the war.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo delivers a campaign speech in Nara, western Japan, shortly before he was shot dead on July 8, 2022. (AP/YONHAP)

Ismael has also posted other controversial content, including sexual harassment of women and racist comments toward passing pedestrians. In one instance, Ishmael's streamer companion Jino suggested performing oral sex on a woman passing by.

On October 17, Ismael uploaded a video of himself pouring instant noodles onto a supermarket table after a store employee stopped him from drinking alcohol. Other antics included playing explicit content on the subway and playing North Korean music loudly on buses.

As his actions escalated, criticism grew, with other YouTubers and online communities calling for him to be held accountable.

Ismael was eventually punched in the face by a man during a live broadcast on Oct. 24 and kicked by another during a broadcast with his Korean acquaintance Yoo Heon-jong on Sunday.

Screenshot of Johnny Somali's video, uploaded on October 17th. (SCREEN RECORDING)

Yoo was previously sentenced to 97 months in prison in the US after being charged with firearms offenses in 2019. In US online communities he is known as the “Texas Asian Nazi”.

According to local media reports, a martial arts YouTuber offered a reward of two million won (US$1,500) for information about Ismael's whereabouts. Although claims circulated online that Ismael had asked for police protection at the Seoul Dongdaemun Police Station, the police denied this.

As more and more foreign visitors come to Korea, crime by foreigners is also increasing. According to the National Police Agency's crime statistics, the number of foreign residents in Korea has increased following the Covid-19 pandemic, with the number of foreign suspects increasing from 29,450 in 2021 to 32,737 in 2023.

According to Article 2 of the Korean Penal Law, foreigners who commit crimes in Korea are subject to local laws.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG ([email protected])