In 2005, Kim was a student at Sungkyunkwan University's School of Art where he aimed to improve his acting skills for his sitcom, Nonstop 5, having previously studied at Seoul National University in 1992. In 1991, Kim won the Grand Prize in the National College Comedy Contest, making his official debut in the South Korean entertainment industry. In the early 1990s, Kim was a part of a group of comedians who called themselves Team Potato (Hangul: 감자골), composed of Kim Gook-jin, Kim Soo-yong and Park Soo-hong, who all debuted in the same year on KBS. It had been reported that Kim himself had been admitted to hospital due to their busy schedule, and therefore Kim Gook-jin attempted to reason with television program producers to lighten their workload. However, this request was not received well by producers, who then decided it was necessary to permanently ban Team Potato from making appearances on television. As a result, in January 1993, the four comedians planned to leave South Korea for the U.S., taking a break from the South Korean entertainment industry, although ultimately, only Kim himself and Kim Gook-jin went to the United States of America, while Park began his compulsory army duty and Kim Soo-yong went to Canada. In 2011, he hosted the 2011 SBS Entertainment Awards, along with Shin Bong-sun and Kim Won-hee. In 2012, Kim became a CEO when he and comedian Kim Soo-yong started an online website called StarLogin, which allows companies and businesses alike to easily contact South Korean celebrities, including entertainers, singers and comedians, for events such as lectures, festivals or corporate events. After his gambling scandal, Kim had spent nearly three years inactive in the entertainment industry. In 2015, he became a cast member of tvN's variety television program, Useful Men, making his first appearance on South Korean television since his career break that he took during his gambling scandal. (S Watch drama online for free.