Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael, is one of very few figures who can bring people from all across the political spectrum together: whether you’re a liberal progressive or a staunch conservative (even though he is constantly donning a MAGA hat, to maybe garner some help from President Trump’s State Department), you want to see this man, the most infamous nuisance streamer of them all, in jail.

Our first article covering his plight got quite a lot of attention. As there haven’t been any major updates since his next court date was moved to 16 May, instead of giving you up-to-date developments, here is an in-depth explanation about the ‘lore’ surrounding one of the most hated people in the world right now.

Is Johnny Somali in Jail Now?

No. Unlike in the United States, bail is very rarely issued in South Korea. The vast majority of suspects get to stay free until their conviction, even without posting bail. The exception to that would be an imminent danger to the public. While Johnny Somali continued his antics even after being indicted, he is yet to cause any physical harm to anyone, so pre-trial detention is not warranted under Korean law. This, however, raises another question.

Where Is Johnny Somali Now?

Johnny Somali is staying in an apartment with a man named Heonjong ‘Hank’ Yoo in Seoul. He is the only person willing to associate with Ismael in South Korea. Somali is completely dependent on him, as he has virtually no income after being banned from all major social media sites. Yoo has put out multiple messages soliciting donations for Somali on his own social media, citing his dire financial situation, as legal fees are also piling up.

However, Hank Yoo may not be the most pleasant company to have 24/7.

In 2020, he was deported from the United States after falsely claiming on a gun purchase form that he was an American citizen. While in the United States, he has also been involuntarily committed by courts to psychiatric treatment twice, which suggests he can have major behavioural issues. He is unemployed in South Korea right now and is living off the support of his wealthy family. Yoo has also admitted that his family is not very pleased with his association with Somali.

If Yoon were to have a falling out with Ismael over the issue, Ismael would have to live on the streets, as the Korean government has no legal obligation to provide him with anything while out of jail awaiting his trial. He is also not allowed to take a ‘regular job’, as he lacks the proper visa for that. His own family in the US has cut contact with him and is not sending him any financial support.

How Short Is Johnny Somali?

Johnny Somali is extremely short for an adult man. Based on public info online and video footage, he is about 5’3–5’4 (160–163 cm). Legal Mindset, the American expat lawyer in Bangkok, Thailand, who is usually the primary source for information for media outlets on this case, likes to refer to his small stature as ‘five foot nothing’ in his livestream. However, that is an exaggeration.

What’s with All the Cabbages?

Speaking of Legal Mindset, if you ever tune into one of his livestreams about Johnny Somali, you will certainly find a certain vegetable prominently featured: cabbage. This is a reference to the fact that South Korean law allows fines to be paid off by labour. In fact, given Somali’s indigence, that is a very likely possibility for him—per his travel ban, he cannot leave the country until all his fines are paid.

Road work is a typical form of prison labour in South Korea, but so is agricultural work, given the shortage of workers in that field. So, Legal Mindset and his viewers are taunting Ismael with his having to pick cabbages to escape South Korea.

Can Johnny Somali Plead Insanity?

Under South Korean law, ‘total incapacitation’ is the standard by which a person can escape legal punishment for a crime due to their mental state. Ismael clearly does not meet that criterion. If he did, he would be committed to a mental institution, which some argue is a worse fate than prison.

Somali has shared that his public defender advised him to get a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which he claims to have, from a local psychiatrist to help his case. However, he most likely meant that this could be used in an argument for a lighter sentence, as opposed to an insanity plea. That is especially the case given that Somali chose to voluntarily plead guilty to three of his charges already, which already shows a sufficient understanding of his situation to disprove ‘total incapacitation’.

What Is Johnny Somali Up To Now?

After being banned from the platform, Somali has recently created a new YouTube channel, which Yoo owns on paper, thus circumventing his ban.

He is streaming there for hours and hours each day, so you will likely catch him live if you click this link. However, since he is now aware of the gravity of his legal trouble, as well as fearing physical assaults from the Korean public, he gave up his nuisance streaming antics that garnered him attention in the first place. Instead, he is talking to Yoo and his chat in Yoo’s apartment, making his content bland, which only attracts a few hundred live viewers at the time.

The channel is not yet monetized, so Somali has to rely on paid ‘superchats’ for a minimal level of income.

Which Prison Will Johnny Somali Go To?

If Johnny Somali receives prison time for the five charges he is currently facing, which is extremely likely at this point, he will be serving his sentence at South Korea’s special prison for foreign nationals in the city of Cheonan, which the government described as ‘the world’s first specialized foreigner correctional facility’ when it opened in 2017.

The vast majority of inmates there are Chinese, and very few of them speak English, making Somali’s likely stay all the more unpleasant.

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