2015: Beginnings After having acted in several
musical theatre plays, Kim made his silver screen debut in the film
Overman, which premiered at the 2015
Busan International Film Festival. This earned him Best New Actor nominations at
25th Buil Film Awards and 22nd
Chunsa Film Art Awards.
2016–2018: Rising popularity Kim made his small screen debut in 2016 and gained attention with his role as
Gong Hyo-jin's younger brother in the romance comedy ''
Don't Dare to Dream''. He then starred in historical drama
The Rebel. The series was a critical and commercial success, and Kim won the Best New Actor award at the
2017 MBC Drama Awards. The same year, he was cast in MBC's two-episode series,
Binggoo, alongside
Han Sun-hwa. He also played the male lead in
KBS2's teen drama
School 2017 alongside
Gugudan's
Kim Se-jeong. The series was very popular among the youth leading to his increased popularity. Kim's portrayal of a troubled and rebellious student was praised by critics and audiences. The series earned him Best New Actor nominations at the
54th Baeksang Arts Awards, the
2017 KBS Drama Awards and the 1st
The Seoul Awards. Kim then featured in
4Men's Music Video
Break Up In The Morning. Later in the year Kim was cast in a lead role in
KBS2 drama special
Buzzcut Love. In 2018, Kim starred in
JTBC's youth series titled
Welcome to Waikiki playing a cynical but kind-hearted movie director. The series was popular across Asia and solidified Kim's status as a versatile actor. He then starred in the 4DX VR movie
Stay With Me alongside
Seo Yea-ji playing the role of an aspiring musician with stage fright. Kim lent his vocals to the OST of the movie titled
Moonlight. In July 2018, he starred in
MBC melodrama
Time alongside ''
Girls' Generation'''s
Seohyun, playing a chaebol whose time is running out due to his failing health. During the press conference for the drama, he was criticised for "answering questions unenthusiastically" and for refusing to link arms with his co-star Seohyun. He explained that it was because he was trying to stay in his character from the drama.
2019–present: Comeback and international fame Kim returned to television in December 2019 when he joined the
tvN romance drama
Crash Landing on You alongside
Hyun Bin,
Son Ye-jin and
Seo Ji-hye. It became the highest-rated
tvN drama and the
third-highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history. Kim's portrayal of Goo Seung-joon, former fiancé of Yoon Se-ri (
Son Ye-jin) and eventual love interest to Seo Dan (
Seo Ji-hye), received positive reviews from audiences. His character's name "Goo Seung-joon" went on to trend at No. 1 in Korea's realtime search rankings, which he later described in an interview as incredibly rewarding. In May 2020, Kim made a
cameo appearance in his
Crash Landing on You co-star
Seo Ji-hye's drama
Dinner Mate playing the role of her long-term boyfriend. On June 5, 2020, it was confirmed that Kim would lead
tvN's
fusion sageuk drama,
Mr. Queen alongside
Shin Hye-sun playing the role of
King Cheoljong. The drama aired from December 2020 to February 2021. On February 15, 2021,
Mr. Queen became the
seventh-highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history and the fifth highest rated tvN drama on record.
The Korea Times article praised Kim's complex portrayal of the two-faced King and noted that he "left a deep impression on viewers with a heavy presence that took the center of the play." Kim contributed his vocals to the soundtrack with the song
Like the First Snow for which he also wrote the lyrics. In September 2021, Kim signed with Story J Company followed by movie and drama casting news in 2022. In January 2022, his agency confirmed that he will appear as a Detective in an
indie film called
Se2cret. Kim received praise for 'Perfectly portraying two conflicting characters' through a variety of charms. He also lent his vocals to the opening theme song of the drama titled
I am. In March 2025, Kim officially parted ways with Story J Company after his exclusive contract expired, ending a four-year partnership that began in 2021. In May 2025, Kim signed an exclusive contract with Management Seesun, a newly established agency that also manages his
Mr. Queen co-stars Shin Hye-sun and
Cha Chung-hwa, marking a new chapter in his career. In 2026, Kim starred in
TvN's
romantic thriller ''
Siren's Kiss. It is based on the 1999 Japanese television series Koori no Sekai [ja]'' by
Hisashi Nozawa, which follows an insurance investigator tracking a series of fraud cases leading to a woman related to several deaths. ==Personal life==