When he was just seven years of age, Grand Master Kim's family sent him to learn Martial Arts and self-defence from a local Buddhist priest who began teaching him 'Taekkyun' a centuries old Korean Martial Art.  He had to undergo rigorous physical conditioning and was required to perform lots of jumping exercises, which later earned him the reputation as; 'The man who could defy gravity', such was his skill at jumping kicks.

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During the Korean war he enlisted in the Army and very soon began teaching unarmed combat to other soldiers who were going into battle.  He incorporated knife, bayonet and other weapons into the training and fought hand-to-hand with enemy soldiers.  He eventually rose to the rank of Master Sgt and was invited to a demonstration being given by a Chung Do Kwan Korean Karate Gym.  After the demonstration he was asked to show his skills to Chung Do Kwan President Song, Duk Son and General Choi, Hong Hi who were so impressed that he was immediately transferred to General Choi's division to teach Martial Arts and self-defence and help General Choi develop a modern Korean Martial Art that would become 'Taekwondo'.

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Grand Master Kim always maintained that Martial Arts should be both practical and include weapons and unarmed techniques and became the world's first Taekwondo Ambassador and the first person ever to be sent abroad as a named professional Taekwondo instructor.