On October 1, 2013, Kim became the first DPRK ambassador in Spain when his country opened its new embassy in Madrid. In September 2017 he was expelled as a "persona non grata" after a North Korean nuclear weapon's test on September 3, 2017. The Madrid embassy was later raided by members of Free Joseon on February 22, 2019, just prior to the 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit.