The American livestreamer Johnny Somali received a prison term with hard labor in South Korea after being convicted of all charges, including those related to deepfakes, the harshest punishment according to Korean law.
The prosecution sought three years of hard labor. Johnny will spend his time in a specialized labor camp where he will be deprived of any cell phone use and marked as a convict.
The story began with a series of incidents during Johnny Somali’s visit to South Korea.
He received backlash for performing inappropriate dance moves next to the Statue of Peace dedicated to victims of Japanese sexual enslavement during World War II.
It triggered a political backlash in parliament and motivated locals to hunt him down, even offering a reward. A former member of the Korean Navy Seals knocked him unconscious in one video clip that quickly spread across social media.
Johnny Somali was detained for further offenses, including the disruption of business operations of a local convenience store and a city bus, as well as live-streaming North Korean propaganda. Johnny Somali appeared late at his first hearing, intoxicated, dressed in a MAGA cap.
In court, Johnny pleaded guilty to several obstruction-of-business-operations charges and Minor Offense Act violations but refused to plead guilty to deepfake charges. He apologized.
“I did some foolish things under the influence of alcohol, and I realize the consequences. I sincerely apologize for this,” Johnny said. “Having been born and raised in the United States, I did not realize how serious the consequences of these actions, which would not be illegal in the United States, could be in Korea.”
Earlier, Johnny challenged the legitimacy of the deepfake accusations, citing a Korean streamer who had posted similar content without any penalties. The plea of Johnny’s mother, who begged for mercy in her separate petition, was rejected by the court.
