The main opposition Democratic United Party said Wednesday that it has selected one of the four hosts of an anti-President Lee Myung-bak talk show, to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections on its ticket. 

Kim Yong-min, a 39-year-old political commentator and professor, will contest the Nowon-A constituency in northeastern Seoul. The constituency was once represented by his co-host Chung Bong-ju, who is now serving a jail term for spreading false information about the current president.

“I am starting a big fight. Please watch me and what I do for the sake of the ordinary people,” Kim said, announcing his run on the show, called "Naneun Ggomsuda."

DUP chairwoman Han Myeong-sook hailed his joining of the party.

“Kim, producing and co-hosting NaGgomSu, has been reaching more than 10 million people every week and social issues he has brought up have rattled the country,” she said. “I look forward to his contribution to politics.”

The weekly podcast is popular among young people, mercilessly lampooning President Lee and his ruling Saenuri Party. Although available only online, the show proved its influence on voters in the Seoul mayoral by-election last October, raising allegations against Na Kyung-won, a candidate from the conservative Saenuri Party.

In one of its recent episodes, Kim and other hosts claimed that Na‘s husband, a judge, had pressured a public prosecutor to have a blogger indicted for slandering her.

On Tuesday, Kim was questioned by prosecutors for another allegation he raised against Na on the show that she was involved in controversial personnel decisions by Seoul’s Jung-gu office that affected officials from Honam region, the main liberal stronghold.

Some DUP members cried foul over his nomination, after learning that former Rep. Chung had strongly urged the party to field Kim in the constituency where he would have run, if he were not in jail.

They claimed the Nowon A constituency was not the personal property of Chung and not something Chung could give to someone he likes.

Twitter user @andwae wrote, “If Chung is released from prison, will you resign to return the seat to Chung? ”

Rep. Chun Yu-ok of conservative Korea Vision Party quipped that the DUP had better change its name to NaGgomSu Party.

Some fans of the show expressed concern that the show may lose its original appeal if its member entered mainstream politics.

Kim said he would continue hosting the show, as long as the national election watchdog allowed it.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)