Having obtained a Bachelor's degree in French from the University of International Affairs in Pyongyang, Kang began a diplomatic career.

He negotiated the Agreed Framework with Assistant Secretary of State Robert Gallucci and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1994.

[2] Reuters states that Kang "engineered the development of the North's nuclear programme that [...] has been the key source of regional security tensions".

[4] KBS describes him as being "among a handful of well-known North Korean officials", who has "gained global attention", and adds: "Considered too aggressive at times, Kang sometimes caused problems with his pushy demeanor.

In the early 1990s, he made several crucial decisions without consulting the party and was sent to a concentration camp for training in revolutionary discipline".