Kim Beom-soo under fire for shock-jock comment

Singer and MC Kim Bum-soo will be placed at the mercy of the Korea Communications Commission for controversial comments he made over the air on Monday.

The 32-year old singer is under fire for saying that when he was younger he used to terrorize women at night by walking close behind as if giving them an impression that they were being followed.

Soon after, disgruntled female listeners filed complaints with the station and left critical messages on the radio show's online message board, some demanding an apology and some the removal of Kim from the airwaves.

One female listener wrote: "I was so disgusted with his story that as a woman, I felt the need to report him to the Ministry of Gender Equality."

Another listener has even gone as far as starting a petition online saying she is urging "netizens" to support the sacking of Kim from his hosting duties for his radio show.

His remarks have sparked an uproar among women as it comes at a time when the nation has been currently riveted by the case of Kim Gil-tae, who on Monday admitted to raping and murdering a teenage girl in Busan.

"The country has turned upside down over this Kim Gil-tae case and for someone to talk about something like that as if it's all a joke is disgusting," another poster wrote, adding that "he must be removed from the show."

The on-air controversial remark is a staple of the radio business.

Hosts often times ad-lib by instinct and end up saying things they later regret.

In the past, comedienne Jung Sun-hee was kicked off her radio show for making fun of candle-lit vigil protesters and singer Yoon Jong-shin met the same fate when he compared women to fish and sashimi.

As for Kim, his management company has been reluctant to comment on the issue and have quickly issued an apology stating: "He was overly eager on-air seeing as how it's only been five months since he made his hosting debut.

"The production team feel it is too early to think about replacing him."

Korea Herald