On February 9, 2008, he won the gold medal in the -66 kg at the Super World Cup (Tournoi de Paris), beating 2004 Olympic champion Masato Uchishiba by ippon in the final. Kim also won the bronze medal in the -66 kg at the 2008 Asian Judo Championships in Jeju, South Korea. He competed in the half-lightweight division at the 2008 Summer Olympics.