Models · 097
Won Joong Kim
Life & Career
- Nationality
- South Korean
Early life
Born in 1987, Won Joong Kim initially pursued an interest in architecture at university, then left and worked various part-time jobs while seeking a direction. His later nickname “model king” should not erase that exploratory period. Architecture and fashion are different professions, although both involve attention to shape and proportion.[1][7]
Entering the profession
After debuting in fashion magazines in 2009, he worked across editorials, advertising, and Korean collections. His distinctive face and styling complemented his height. He expressed an ambition to be remembered as a model beyond a passing nickname, while the actual profession required communicating clothing through shoots and shows.[1][2][5]
The breakthrough
Korean reporting presented his Prada runway appearance as a pioneering achievement for an Asian male model. The claim is best understood within its menswear and reporting context. He described years abroad involving repeated auditions and uncertain outcomes, emphasizing the work behind a prestigious booking.[2][3]
Defining work
An online shop launched with fellow model Park Ji Woon in 2011 developed into 87MM. They built production experience through items such as hats and T-shirts, then presented a spring/summer 2015 Seoul collection in autumn 2014. Moving from presenting others’ clothing to developing a collection required responsibilities beyond modeling visibility.[3][4]
Expanding the practice
For 87MM’s spring/summer 2017 presentation, standing spectators supported the concept of an imagined street. A Zippo collaboration used his birth year and the brand’s founding year as design elements. These projects suggest international modeling experience becoming a resource for thinking about products and presentation, rather than simply reproducing earlier shows.[3][7]
Latest documented work
A February 2026 report documents his participation in Arena Homme+ Korea’s twentieth-anniversary cover project featuring twenty Korean male models. Although his work expanded into design and broadcasting, modeling remains part of his current identity. The published cover establishes continuity more concretely than promotional promises about future activity.[6]
A place in fashion history
His career shows a model’s personal taste developing into an independent fashion label. Auditions, shoots, retail, and collection development are distinct forms of work connected within one trajectory. The significance lies in how experience presenting clothes can inform making and distributing them, alongside a continuing modeling identity.[2][4][5][6]