Comedienne-turned-TV and radio host Kim Mi-hwa is planning to open an online media outlet.

According to local media, Kim reported her plan to establish Soonakjil News to the Gyeonggi Metropolitan Government on Monday. By law a person wanting to open an online news outlet has only to report the plan to the authorities and does not need government authorization. Unless critical faults are found, Kim may well open the site within a week, officials said.

Kim, perhaps best known for her comic character Soonakjil, a rather ugly newlywed wife grunting and sometimes behaving violently toward her handsome husband, said the site will be used as a communication channel for women.

Her role model was American media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

“I have come across stories of many women through Twitter these days. They said their lives were hard. I thought I could be sort of a mentor for them,” she was quoted as saying to an online news outlet.

“Oprah Winfrey runs a website where women from around the world gather and share their lives. I thought we could adapt that to Korea. The website will cover everything about our society from politics to economy and culture,” she said, adding that the website will be non-profit.

Kim is regarded as a liberal and outspoken critic of the government. She was fired from her MBC radio program in April, two days after criticizing the current administration. She is now hosting an OBS radio show on current affairs.

By Bae Ji-sook
(baejisook@heraldcorp.com)