Johnny Somali: Who Is the Streamer Facing Prison in South Korea?

An American live streamer arrested in South Korea will face court just before Christmas.

The provocative online personality, Johnny Somali, could be jailed for up to five years for his antics and his trial is due to start on December 20, according to YouTube lawyer Legal Mindset.

The divisive content creator is known as 'nuisance influencer' and often shouts controversial or racist comments at people in his videos.

He was charged with obstruction of business after filming a chaotic live stream at a 7-Eleven, which South Korean prosecutors said caused a "commotion" in the store, per NBC.

Who Is Johnny Somali?

Somali, whose given name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, 24, was raised in Arizona and attended Arizona State University.

He started his online career on streams such as Kick and YouTube where he would travel to other countries such as Israel, Thailand and Japan. Somali became known for his tourism videos where he would shout offensive slogans at locals or attempt a provocative stunt.

Somali has been banned from major platforms such as Kick and Twitch. The streamer now uses Rumble and TikTok to air his content.

Newsweek contacted Somali by Instagram direct message on Wednesday morning.

Johnny Somali pictured during a recently livestream posted to his Rumble account. He was arrested in South Korea and could face jail time. Rumble/Johnny Somali

Why Was he Arrested in South Korea?

The streamer was arrested in November after causing a "commotion" in a local convenience store.

In a video posted in October, Somali was seen in a video in a convenience store where he appeared to be drinking alcohol in a convenience store and pouring instant noodles on a table before he cleans it up, per NBC.

While Somali is not in jail while awaiting trial, he could potentially be charged with more crimes, including causing a public disturbance and under anti-terrorism laws, after he said he had a bomb on a public train.

"If authorities determine that Johnny's statements posed a legitimate threat to public safety or were made with the intent to incite public violence, he could face additional penalties, including asset seizure and restrictions on communication," Legal Mindset told Dextero.

Streamer's Past Controversies

Somali has got himself into hot water in many of the countries he has visited.

On his current trip to South Korea, Somali drew the ire of locals for his conduct at a statue dedicated the tens of thousands of Korean women who were made sexual slaves by Japanese forces in World War II. He eventually apologized for printing photos of him kissing the statue and then handing the photos to passersby.

Local media outlet, JTBC, shared video of Somali seemingly facing retaliation for the prank as a man chases him and kicks him.

The drama continued for Somali when he was attacked and punched to the ground by Korean YouTuber Yu Dal-geun. The incident was filmed and posted by Korea Now. Yu was arrested by police and later charged by prosecutors.

In nearby Japan, Somali made threats against the Japanese prime minister and administered fake bomb threats. He was also arrested for trespassing onto a construction site in Osaka.

The Kyodo News Agency also alleged Somali was hurling insults at locals and taunting them about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

In March this year, Somali traveled to Israel where he got into physical altercations with both Jewish and Arab people in Tel Aviv. Somali was beaten up by people for his antics.

He also traveled to the sacred Western Wall in Jerusalem where he posted photos of notorious Jewish people such as Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein to the wall.

That stunt led to his second arrest in Israel. Somali was also detained for allegedly harassing a female police officer.