Outside of music, Kim has ventured into acting, most notably with a starring role in HBO Max's Brazilian TV series Além do Guarda-Roupa (English: My Magic Closet).

[4] In 2017, Kim competed in Mnet's reality survival show Stray Kids to become a member of the record label's forthcoming boy group of the same name.

[6] The nine-member lineup was confirmed in the final episode of the reality show and Stray Kids released their pre-debut EP Mixtape and lead single "Beware" on January 8, 2018.

[a] On October 28, 2019, Kim left Stray Kids, with JYP Entertainment citing "personal circumstances" as the reason for his departure from the band.

[13] During his time as a member of Stray Kids, the group released 6 EPs, all of which were certified platinum by the Korea Music Content Association.

[22] News of Kim's acting debut came in April when it was announced that he was cast as the lead role in HBO Max's then-upcoming Brazilian romantic fantasy series Além do Guarda-Roupa (English: My Magic Closet).

Kim portrayed Kyung-min, a member of fictional K-pop boy group "ACT", and contributed 3 songs for the soundtrack.

[33] The imagery related to the EP was said to symbolize a "fresh start" and be the singer's "declaration to break free from everything that has oppressed him and pave his path".

The mid-tempo, guitar-driven love song was released as a gift to fans three days prior to his mandatory military service enlistment.

[15][41] In addition, the police probe found that both people involved in disseminating the allegations were Brazilian nationals who had never been to South Korea or met Kim.

[41] In July 2021, 10x Entertainment published a documentary entitled Finger Killer, which examined the false accusations of sexual harassment made against Kim.

[41] (with Jinkwon, Lee Min-wook, and Yoon Jae-chan) All song credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association's database unless stated otherwise.