Kim Sang-man began his career in films designing posters, starting with The Contact in 1997.
He had designed posters for about 30 films when he was given the opportunity to be the art director on If the Sun Rises in the West in 1998.
[1] The highlight of his career as an art director came two years after that when he worked on the now-classic Joint Security Area.
Some time afterwards, Kim joined a band as a bassist and recorded under an independent label.
In 2008, he directed his first film, the crime caper/comedy Girl Scout which was fairly well received.