After appearing in student short films and several minor parts, Kim became a star through his supporting role in the popular TV series Coffee Prince (2007), followed by box office hit Take Off (2009).

His acclaimed performance as an obsessed and tormented king in the 2012 period drama The Concubine, along with his appearance in the fantasy action films Along with the Gods 1 and 2 has brought Kim the best reviews of his career yet.

[2] After officially debuting in A Crimson Mark,[3] Kim Dong-wook's first notable role was the angry, impoverished teenager in director Byun Young-joo's 2004 coming-of-age film Flying Boys.

[5][6] In the popular 2009 sports flick Take Off, he starred as a former night club bouncer who ends up being a member of Korea's national ski jumping team.

A loose spin-off of the TV series On Air, it takes place at a radio station and centers around an idol singer-turned-DJ and an older female PD.

[10] Kim then played lead roles in the omnibus film Five Senses of Eros,[11] thriller Happy Killers,[12] and melodrama Romantic Heaven.

According to critics one of the finest of achievements of the 2012 period thriller is Kim's engrossing performance as the tormented Prince Sung-won, who gradually loses his sense of judgment and emotional control in the face of obsessive love.

On March 8, 2022, Kim donated ₩50 million to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help the victims of the massive wildfire that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and has spread to Samcheok, Gangwon.