It was also South Korea's first gold medal from taekwondo "kyorugi" (sparring) competition at Jakarta-Palembang 2018.

Against Pulatov, Kim finished the first round 2-1. He earned six points in the beginning of the second round, however, after successfully landing a turning kick on Pulatov's body. He then earned a point from a penalty and two points on a body kick to finish the second round 11-2.

Kim then easily secured gold by earning 13 points in the third round, while Pulatov only got four.

At Jakarta Convention Center Plenary Hall, Kim, who was also a bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, trounced Chen Xiaoyi of China 40-2 in the round of 16.

Kim had a tough bout in the quarterfinal, but edged Yeldos Yskak of Kazakhstan 11-9. The 24-year old, however, had relatively easy semifinal as he beat Sergio Suzuki of Japan 24-11.