Johnny Somali had created a deepfake AI of him kissing Korea IRL streamer BongBong and claiming she was his girlfriend
Statue of Peace in Seoul prompted South Koreans to attack YouTuber Johnny Somali for aggressively kissing and dancing in front of it; he had previously experienced criticism in Japan. He has also created an AI video with IRL streamer BongBong for which he’s come under fire and could end up facing legal action over.
Who is Korean IRL streamer BongBong whose deepfake AI Johnny Somali created of kissing him
Korean IRL streamer Bongbong sued Johnny Somali for using deepfake AI to show him kissing her. Although she has chosen not to pursue legal action, he might face prosecution from the Korean government over it.
Johnny Somali may face up to 7 years in jail for using AI to fake having a Korean girlfriend
This is on top of existing charges that could see him get up to 10 years of jail time pic.twitter.com/h2OvYbAVG2
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) November 10, 2024
As Johnny Somali displayed the footage to his stream and boasted about having a Korean girlfriend, you could also spot a deepfake AI logo in the lower right corner of his laptop, in addition to the kiss’ uncanny quality that gave it away. BongBong filed a complaint against Johnny Somali at the Cheongwon Police Department on the contents of the now-deleted stream.
It’s important to note that these two did stream together, which might have contributed to her decision to drop the charges. She is seen calling Johnny Somali a “monkey” and using other derogatory language at him in reuploaded video from that stream.
This might not matter, though, because even if Johnny Somali dropped the case, these charges against her remain. The South Korean government itself would be pursuing the case, not Bongbong.
According to a bill passed on September 26, 2024, possessing sexually explicit deepfakes of other people can result in up to seven years in prison and a fine of almost $22,000 USD.
YouTuber Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, is also being investigated for drug misuse in South Korea and could be sentenced to ten years in prison. He caused a public uproar by kissing a statue that symbolized Korean women who were s*xually enslaved during the Japanese occupation of the nation, which led to the incident.
Kick streamer Johnny Somali is banned from leaving South Korea and now facing over 10 years in jail. pic.twitter.com/U8sJYLdg92
— Z-DRAGON (@IBZDRAGON) November 6, 2024
He was pushed and assaulted in Seoul for disrespecting the statue, according to a number of unconfirmed Twitter photos. To make matters worse, Somali is involved in a drug-use probe and is unable to leave South Korea. He might spend up to ten years behind bars if convicted.
With the assistance of a translator, Johnny Somali apologized publicly in Korean after becoming intimidated by the seriousness of the issue.
Somali reportedly on November 7 said, “I’m a young person, and I want to grow. I made a mistake… I apologize and will no longer talk about or touch the statue.”
”bongbong_irl” will be suing Johnny Somali over him showing a ”deepfake” video of them kissing
‘봉봉_irl’은 키스 장면이 담긴 ‘딥페이크’ 동영상을 공개한 것에 대해 조니 소말리를 고소할 예정입니다. pic.twitter.com/QC9DahM3vx— ClipsVonClaus (@ClipsVonClaus) November 1, 2024
Other accusations against Johnny Somali
In front of Seoul’s Statue of Peace in Itaewon, 24-year-old Johnny Somali executed offensive dance motions that sent shockwaves around South Korea. He was also seen kissing the sculptures in the October 9 livestream.
In the early decades of the 20th century, the Imperial Japanese military forced hundreds of young Korean women into sexual slavery; the ‘Comfort Women’ statue was erected in their honour. The South Koreans did not take mocking such a delicate memorial lightly.
Somali, a serial criminal, had previously caused a similar controversy in Japan by making fun of strangers in public settings, including subway trains, by mentioning the US firing nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a result, the YouTuber was openly confronted by Japanese people.
The American allegedly snuck into a hotel that was still under construction in another occasion and recorded himself yelling “Fukushima” to the workers. He was jailed again for shooting inside an Osaka restaurant without permission while playing loud music.
Streamer Johnny Somali, known for years of harassing people in South Korea and Japan for clicks and even allegedly r@ping a statue of a young girl, has now been banned from leaving South Korea 🇰🇷 and faces a prison sentence of over 10 years. pic.twitter.com/CM22hp9ULG
— 𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖌𝖎𝖗𝖑 (@StarlitGrl) November 9, 2024