Kim started martial arts training in the Korean art of Taekyun in 1941 at the age of 7. While he was a master sergeant in the Korean army, he was called to Malaysia by General Choi Hong Hi, Korea's ambassador at the time, to teach taekwondo to members of the government party in Malaysia and subsequently to develop Taekwondo, particularly some of the forms created by General Choi, and another martial art called Chun Kuhn Taekwondo. Bok Man Kim and Jae Lim Woo helped General Choi develop 15 tuls, or patterns, between 1962 and 1964 while Choi served as the Korean Ambassador to Malaysia.