[1] He competed at the 1989 World Weightlifting Championships in Athens, Greece, where he placed seventh in the flyweight event, with a total score of 235 kilograms (518 lb).

[3] That year, Kim also competed at the Asian Games in Beijing, China, winning the overall bronze medal in his event.

[4] He was selected to represent North Korea at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, and competed in the flyweight event.

[5] He began with a placement of eighth in the clean and jerk portion of the event, with a lift of 105 kilograms (231 lb), but then was unable to complete his attempted lifts in the snatch event and finished tied for last with the mark of "Did Not Finish".

[6][7] The following year, Kim competed at the inaugural East Asian Games in Shanghai, participating in the 54 kg class and winning bronze with a total of 257.5 kilograms (568 lb), which was his last known appearance.