[4] Kim has urged people to vote,[5][6][7] invested in the crowdfunded political film 26 Years,[8] joined demonstrations for university tuition fee cuts[9][10] and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions,[11] participated in flood damage restoration efforts,[12] and has spoken out about cyberbullying,[13] the reinstatement of laid-off shipbuilders at Hanjin Heavy Industries, the Yongsan disaster and the Ssangyong Motors labour strike.

[19][20] But in 2009, after he hosted the funeral memorial for the late president Roh Moo-hyun,[21][22] Kim was fired from his highly rated quiz show Star Golden Bell on the state-run broadcasting network KBS.

[23][24] KBS claimed the dismissal was merely part of a program restructuring, but mounting speculation from netizens was that it had been politically motivated, and that Kim and his fellow liberal entertainers were being blacklisted by the Lee Myung-bak government.

[34][35] Despite the dwindling job offers resulting from his political stance, in a lecture in 2011, Kim told KAIST students to maintain humor and happiness amid "merciless reality.

[38] Called "talk concerts," Kim has since held these sold-out shows all over Korea and even in the United States, and in them he shares his views on the absurdities of society and politics, mixing funny anecdotes and insightful observations with biting social criticism.