On Wednesday, a South Korean court sentenced American YouTuber Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, to six months in prison after convicting him of public nuisance and distributing a deepfake video.
Court Finds Pattern Of Disruptive And Illegal Behavior
The Seoul Western District Court said the 25-year-old repeatedly caused disturbances in public spaces, including blasting North Korean music and creating disruptions at a convenience store, The Korean Herald reported.
"The defendant repeatedly committed crimes against unspecified members of the public to generate profit via YouTube," the court said, adding that the evidence supported all charges.
YouTube is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google.
YouTube and Google did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments.
Deepfake Video Charge Added To Case
Prosecutors expanded the case to include allegations that Somali distributed an artificial intelligence-generated sexual video involving himself and a local female YouTuber.
The court noted that the content was shared "in disregard of Korean law." Prosecutors had sought a three-year sentence. The sentence includes immediate detention and restrictions. Somali was taken into custody immediately after sentencing.
The court also ordered an additional 20 days of detention and imposed a five-year ban on working at institutions serving minors or people with disabilities following his release, the report said.
The judge cited the lack of severe harm to victims as a factor in issuing a shorter sentence.
Controversial Content Sparked Public Backlash
Somali also sparked widespread outrage in South Korea for his conduct near the Statue of Peace in Seoul — commonly known as the Comfort Woman statue — which honors tens of thousands of Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japanese forces during World War II.
Speaking before the hearing, Somali said he was remorseful and wanted "to apologize to the people of Korea."
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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