Please note: We are only doing this story because you asked for it, otherwise we don’t care about this fool!
Some people treat the entire world as their personal playground. They seem to believe that everything they encounter is just a prop for their social media content. Ismael Ramsey Khalid, better known to his 5,000 online followers as the livestreamer Johnny Somali, has now learned a very hard lesson about this delusion. He currently sits in a South Korean jail cell, and it turns out that his online following does not protect him from local laws.
Khalid spent his time in South Korea acting out in ways that would make anyone cringe. He chose to kiss and dance on a statue that honours women who suffered during World War Two. It was a stunt designed for views, but it instead earned him a six month prison sentence. He clearly operated under the mistaken belief that he could act like a total fool in Seoul just as he might back home in America.
Many influencers seem to suffer from the same main character syndrome. They travel abroad and act as if the local population and their cultural history exist only for their amusement. It is a tired, sad display. Khalid thought his camera acted as a shield, but the South Korean court disagreed. They convicted him of public nuisance and other charges, including the distribution of sexual deepfakes.
His legal troubles are not a new development. He made a nuisance of himself in Japan and Israel before arriving in South Korea. In Japan, he taunted locals and disrupted business in restaurants. He thought he was untouchable. He found out very quickly that reality does not pause just because you are filming a video. He even challenged people to fight him in the streets, only to find that some people do not appreciate his version of entertainment.
The court decided on a six month sentence. While prosecutors wanted three years, the judges opted for a lighter term because they found that his actions did not cause severe physical harm. Still, he is now barred from working with minors or people with disabilities upon his release. He wanted fame, and he certainly found a way to become the centre of attention. He just failed to realise that prison is not part of his streaming schedule.
This case serves as a loud warning to anyone who thinks they can export their bad behaviour across borders. You are not the main character, and the laws of the country you visit will always win.
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Related topics: Asia
