Kim Sun-tae says MBC appearance branded him a 'leftist,' calls KBS show 'image rehabilitation'

Kim Sun-tae, the YouTuber known as "Chungju Man," has explained why he agreed to host a KBS entertainment program.

A teaser for the web variety show "Donsuntae: Age of Success" was released Tuesday through KBS's YouTube channel under the title "From Chungju to the Nation — 'Kim Sun-tae' Makes a Hot Solo Broadcast Debut."

In the video, the production team mentioned it had taken six months to cast Kim, to which he replied, "I kept wondering whether I could handle this kind of weight. I turned down everyone else. I got offers from OTT platforms, Theo (the production company of PD Kim Tae-ho), PD Na Young-seok and others — I turned almost all of them down."

When the production team asked which offer had come with the highest fee, Kim said, "This won't air, right?" before naming the figure — leaving the crew visibly stunned.

Kim also said he had long resisted trying new things. "I don't take on challenges. I don't eat new foods, I don't travel. I used to think doing something new was just too hard, but now I feel a bit more settled, so I want to give it a shot," he said.

Asked what had changed his mind, he said he had wanted to work with KBS, then explained a past controversy. "I once filmed an election broadcast for MBC and people started calling me 'a leftist.' That appearance was something I accepted while I was still a civil servant," he said.

He drew laughs by adding, "I ended up going on a public broadcaster to launder my image."

Meanwhile, "Donsuntae: Age of Success," with Kim as MC, is set to be uploaded to the KBS YouTube channel on Wednesday.