It covers his life from his arrival in Shanghai in April 1919 until the foundation of the Korean Liberation Army in Chongqing in 1942.

The first volume was written using a pen, but the second using a brush, as Kim had grown accustomed to the calligraphy used in official documents of his allies, the Kuomintang.

[3] Kim wrote several copies of the texts and distributed them as gifts to people before the official publication of the book.

[3] Both volumes were eventually first published for the general public on December 15, 1947, by the National Institute of Korean History.

[4] On 26 February 2019, the musician RM of BTS referenced a quote from the Paekpŏmilchi during an award acceptance speech.