"Statue of Peace Insult and Outrageous Acts": First Trial Verdict for American YouTuber...Prosecution Seeks 3 Years in Prison

Prosecutors Seek 3-Year Prison Term for Repeated Outrageous Acts
Charges Include Obstruction of Business and Distribution of False Videos

The first trial verdict for American YouTuber Johnny Somali, who has sparked controversy in Korea with various outrageous acts, will be delivered on April 15. This comes about a year and six months after he caused public outrage by kissing the 'Statue of Peace,' among other incidents.

YouTuber Johnny Somali, indicted for multiple illegal activities. YouTube

According to Yonhap News Agency on April 15, Judge Park Ji-won, the presiding judge of the Criminal Division 1 at Seoul Western District Court, will hand down the verdict for Somali, who has been charged with obstruction of business and distributing false video materials in violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes.

Somali was brought to trial on charges of disrupting convenience store operations around Mapo-gu, Seoul, in October 2024. At the time, he reportedly caused disturbances by playing loud music in the store and spilling instant noodle soup on tables. He is also accused of carrying foul-smelling bags of fish and approaching pedestrians to cause discomfort, as well as playing music and dancing on public transportation such as buses and subways, thereby creating further disturbances.

His acts of interfering with guests riding attractions while livestreaming at Lotte World were also among the indictment details. Additional charges surfaced during the trial: he was charged with violating the sexual crimes law for creating and distributing obscene videos that combined male and female faces.

At his first trial in March of last year, Somali attempted to enter the courtroom wearing a red hat with the slogan "Make America Great Again" (MAGA), the campaign slogan of U.S. President Donald Trump, but was stopped in accordance with court regulations. After the trial, he further fueled controversy by telling reporters, "Korea is a vassal state of the United States," a highly offensive remark.

During the sentencing hearing on February 27, the prosecution requested three years in prison and a fine of 150,000 won for Somali.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.