[6] Originally deployed as a winger or an attacking midfielder, Kim played as a sweeper after the 1994 FIFA World Cup because the condition of his knee was exacerbated.

[9] Kim was selected for the South Korea national team for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, playing in a major competition for the first time.

In the 1988 AFC Asian Cup, he performed a key role with great dribbles, leading South Korea to the final.

He became the Most Valuable Player of the tournament,[10] although South Korea lost to Saudi Arabia after the penalty shoot-out in the final.

He was also named the Most Outstanding Player in the Asian qualification of the 1990 FIFA World Cup after South Korea won the competition without a defeat.

In September 2003 he attended a sports management masters course at De Montfort University, Leicester until February 2004 when his studies took him to Switzerland.