Kim Tae-sul (; born August 13, 1984) is a South Korean basketball coach. During his fourteen-year professional career, Kim played for five different teams, the longest stint being at

Anyang KGC The Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters () is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League, based at Anyang Gymnasium in the city of Anyang. The club has won four KBL championship titles ( 2011–12, 2016–17, 2020–21, and 2 ...

where he won the KBL Championship. He was also a member of the South Korea national team and participated in the

2013 FIBA Asia Championship The 2013 in sports, 2013 FIBA Asia Cup, FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that served as the qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The tourna ...

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from 30 August to 14 September 2014. Hosted by Spain, it was the la ...

and two

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

Early life and college years

A native of

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

, Kim attended Donga High School. He was one of the stand-outs at his high school and was recruited by

Yonsei University Yonsei University () is a Private university, private Christian university, Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the three most prestigious universities in the country, part of a group referred to as SK ...

, where he would be joined by his future

teammate and best friend Yang Hee-jong. The Yonsei team dominated collegiate competitions after a period of stagnation. In the 2005 MBC Cup, Kim scored 20 points during the final against

Chung-Ang University Chung-Ang University (CAU; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. The university operates two campuses: main campus located in Dongjak District, Seoul, and an additional campus in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. CAU consists of 1 ...

as Yonsei won the competition for a fourth consecutive time.

Professional career

Seoul SK Knights (2007–2009)

Kim was drafted first overall in the 2007 KBL rookie draft by

Seoul SK Knights The Seoul SK Knights () is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League. The club was originally founded by Jinro Group in 1997 as Cheongju Jinro McCass. Before the official launch of the basketball club, Jinro Group filed fo ...

. He made an immediate impact with double-digit numbers in assists during his first two games and ranked second in assists, the highest ranked rookie player that season. The lack of point guards able to compete with Kim Seung-hyun statistically led the media to dub the younger Kim as "Magic Kid" and he won the KBL Rookie of the Year and named into the KBL Best 5.

Anyang (2009–2014)

In a surprise move, Seoul SK Knights decided to trade him and another player to Anyang KT&G Kites for former MVP Joo Hee-jung at the end of the 2008–09 season. He immediately enlisted for mandatory military service, serving as a public service worker. It was not until the 2011–12 season that he was able to play for his new team. At that time, his teammates included the recently

discharged Discharge may refer to: * The act of firing a gun * Termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from service Flow * Discharge (hydrology), the a ...

Yang Hee-jong and newcomers Oh Se-keun, Park Chan-hee and

Lee Jung-hyun Lee Jung-hyun (; born February 7, 1980), also known by her occasional stage name Ava, is a South Korean singer and actress. She was first recognized for her acting abilities with award-winning role in her first film and has been solidified as on ...

. The young team managed to reach the final of the Championship playoffs and defeat regular season champions

Wonju Dongbu Promy The Wonju DB Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), located in the city of Wonju. From its founding in 1996, the team has always been based in its home province of Gangwon. It has the rare distinction of b ...

. During his last season with Anyang, he led the league in assists for the first time.

Jeonju KCC Egis (2014–2016)

With his contract up at Anyang, Kim joined

Jeonju KCC Egis The Busan KCC Egis () is a professional basketball club based in Busan, South Korea. The team competes in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) and has established a substantial fanbase in South Korea. Founded in 1997, the team was initially based i ...

. His signing was meant to be part of a major squad rebuilding project by coach

Hur Jae Hur Jae (; born September 28, 1965) is a South Korean retired basketball coach and former player. His playing and coaching career combined spanned over three decades, beginning during the semi-professional era and coinciding with the establishm ...

but did not play for his new team for the first round of the season due to his participation in both the

2014 FIBA World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from 30 August to 14 September 2014. Hosted by Spain, it was the la ...

and

. He went through a major slump that season as KCC finished ninth, the second last position. Kim managed to return to form the following season, especially after establishing a tandem with foreign recruits

Andre Emmett Andre Emmett (August 27, 1982 – September 23, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and was named a consensus All-American as a senior in 2004. He had brief stints in ...

and Herbert Hill. KCC won the regular season title and reached the final of the Championship playoffs.

Final years (2016–2021)

Kim moved to

Seoul Samsung Thunders Seoul Samsung Thunders () is a professional basketball team, competing in the Korean Basketball League. Ever since the club was founded in 1978, they have been associated with Samsung Electronics. Initially based in Suwon, they relocated to Seoul ...

, attracted by the prospect of playing under the legendary Lee Sang-min. Although no longer an automatic starter due to his age and physical condition, his experience was highly valued and he served as a mentor to the younger guards in the team. The lack of experienced guards and with Joo Hee-jung nearing retirement, Kim saw much more playing time and won Round MVP of the first round. At the end of the 2018–19 season, he signed a one-year contract with

Wonju DB Promy The Wonju DB Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), located in the city of Wonju. From its founding in 1996, the team has always been based in its home province of Gangwon. It has the rare distinction of b ...

and was reunited with his former Anyang head coach Lee Sang-beom. He stayed for another season before announcing his retirement on 13 May 2021.

Post-retirement activities

Kim opted not to go into coaching like many of his retired peers had done. He made guest appearances on several variety programs and started a

Naver Naver (; stylized as NAVER) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. The company's products include a search engine, email hosting, blogs, maps, and mobile payment. History Naver was the first Korean web provide ...

blog, in which he posts about recent developments in both college basketball and the KBL. In June 2022, he was a guest commentator for tvN's coverage of South Korea's friendly games against the Philippines. He was then hired by

SPOTV SPOTV is a South Korean pay television network, which features sports programming and some sports-related talk shows. Founded in 2010, the network is the fourth Pay television, premium sports network in South Korea following by KBS N, KBS N S ...

to cover KBL games for the 2022–23 season. In September 2021, Kim signed with General Entertainment.

Personal life

On February 11, 2025, it was confirmed that Kim would marry actress

Park Ha-na Park Ha-na (; born July 25, 1985) is a South Korean actress. Park made her entertainment debut in 2003 as a member of the idol group FUNNY. Since then, she has turned to acting and was in the lead role in '' Apgujeong Midnight Sun'' (2014). C ...

in June. The couple married on June 21, 2025, in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

References

External links

Profile
at KBL.or.kr * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Tae-sul 1984 births Living people Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters players Basketball players at the 2006 Asian Games Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games Point guards Busan KCC Egis players Korean Basketball League players Seoul SK Knights players South Korean men's basketball players Yonsei University alumni Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Shooting guards 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Basketball players from Busan South Korean basketball commentators 21st-century South Korean sportsmen Asian Games gold medalists in basketball Asian Games basketball players for South Korea