SEOUL, April 15 (Yonhap) — American YouTuber Johnny Somali, who sparked outrage in South Korea two years ago after kissing a statue symbolizing Korean victims of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, was sentenced by a court Wednesday to six months in prison and remanded in custody.
Somali was indicted by South Korean authorities on multiple charges, including obstruction of business and violations of minor public order laws.
He is accused of uploading a video of himself kissing a “Statue of Peace” that commemorates the former sex slaves in Seoul and performing a lewd dance in front of it in October 2024. He also provoked public outrage by causing disturbances on buses, subways and an amusement park, vandalizing a convenience store in Seoul’s Mapo district and playing obscene videos in public.
The Seoul Western District Court sentenced Somali to six months in prison and 20 days of detention and barred him from employment at institutions related to children and adolescents for five years.
The court then ordered him to be taken into custody immediately.
American YouTuber Johnny Somali answers questions from reporters before attending his sentencing trial at the Seoul Western District Court in the capital on April 15, 2026. (Yonhap)
ycm@yna.co.kr
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