Johnny Somali apologizes for controversial South Korean streams as he faces jail time

Controversial streamer Johnny Somali has apologized to the people of South Korea as he faces ten years in jail for his antics.

Johnny Somali is currently unable to leave South Korea as he’s being investigated for drug use – a crime that could result in significant jail time, given the country’s strict laws.

The streamer, who caused chaos in Japan and Israel, was permanently banned from Kick for his troublesome content after frequently getting in trouble with the law.

However, that hasn’t stopped him from continuing his ways on other streaming platforms as he ventured to South Korea in September.

Notably, Somali sparked outrage by kissing and performing inappropriate actions on the Statue of Peace – a monument to victims of sexual slavery. Not taking his disrespect lying down, Korean streamers began targeting the American, assaulting him on numerous occasions.

Once the police and even the South Korean parliament got involved, the streamer faced charges of narcotics use – a crime that comes with a maximum penalty of ten years in the slammer.

On November 7, Somali apologized to “all the people of South Korea,” claiming he didn’t mean to hurt their pride.

“I’m a young person, I want to grow as a man. I made a mistake, and I think when you make a mistake in life, you need to own up to it. So, I apologize, and I will no longer talk about your statue or touch it ever again,” he said.

Somali went on to say that he wants his controversial conduct to serve as a learning experience for others, adding that a lot of people only learned about the statue because of his streams.

The monument is meant to memorialize victims of sexual slavery by Japanese forces during World War II.

“Hopefully, we can move past this and have a better future,” he pleaded. “I’m sincere. I mean it. For a whole country’s pride to be hurt, it’s not a big thing for me to say I’m sorry.”

The streamer attempted to justify why he acted the way he did, claiming that it came down to cultural differences between comedy in the United States and South Korea.

Although Somali said he was serious about the apology, the streamer has had no trouble lying to authorities in the past when in trouble with the law.

After his trial in Japan, Somali admitted to lying in court, claiming he wasn’t making any money streaming and was just filming “documentaries.”