this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2026
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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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[–] INHALE_VEGETABLES@aussie.zone 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

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[–] vantablack@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 2 days ago (10 children)

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 19 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

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.

Its almost impossible to have not at least sentenced him to 1 day after something like that if a prison sentence is legitimately on the table.

[–] Atomic@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 days ago (7 children)

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.

[–] spiritsong@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Yeah. The prosecutors were pushing 3 years. I think he deserves MORE than 6 months.

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[–] a9249@lemmy.ca 18 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (5 children)

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 15 points 2 days 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

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

OTOH maybe this will ground him a bit more and he will be a more self-reflective douchebag.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 4 points 1 day ago

he has done this many times, and not in korea too.

[–] phx@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

He's a douchebag that's used to acting as such without consequences (or even with profit). A prison labor camp sounds like exactly the sort of wakeup call this guy needs

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[–] HeroicBillyBishop@lemmy.ca 20 points 2 days ago

ahahahahaha

fafo

[–] scttgard@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

That has to be one of the more punchable faces I have seen. And I do not advocate violence. But he might be n exception.

[–] AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world 86 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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 44 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] HeroicBillyBishop@lemmy.ca 20 points 2 days ago

fuuuuk this guy

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

I would watch that video

[–] LoafedBurrito@lemmy.world 54 points 3 days ago (2 children)

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 20 points 2 days 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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[–] bort@sopuli.xyz 142 points 3 days ago (1 children)

"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 32 points 3 days ago (2 children)

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

[–] bort@sopuli.xyz 27 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] entwine@programming.dev 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

And it's six months of hard labor without access to a smartphone. He'll either lose his mind or actually reconsider his life choices.

[–] IntrovertTurtle@lemmy.zip 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Plus he had to register as a sex offender in Korea, and thus has to register in America on his return or face 10y, so who's got money on him failing to register?

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Under the Trump administration I don't think he will have any problems with not registering.

[–] weew@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)
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[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 days ago

If we're lucky, he will annoy the wrong person and get the shit kicked out of him. Maybe he'll learn.

[–] FederatedFreedom1981@lemmy.ca 152 points 3 days ago (22 children)

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 60 points 3 days ago (9 children)

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.

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[–] thorhop@sopuli.xyz 58 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Norwegian philosopher Arne Ness said it best:

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

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[–] magnue@lemmy.world 82 points 3 days ago (2 children)

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

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[–] Vandalismo@lemmy.world 96 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Mf was so annoying they sent him to the gulag

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[–] Bad_Ideas_In_Bulk@lemmy.world 64 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (4 children)

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.

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