Kim Bum made his acting debut in 2006 with appearances in the drama Rude Women and the sitcom Unstoppable High Kick, which both aired on MBC. In 2008, he played the young counterpart of Song Seung-heon’s character in MBC’s East of Eden, which earned him the Netizen Popularity Award at the Korea Drama Awards. In 2009, he played one of the F4 members in the hit KBS2 series Boys Over Flowers, which propelled him into stardom. That same year, he took home the New Star Award at the SBS Drama Awards for his work in Dream. In 2013, he acted alongside Jo In-sung and Song Hye-gyo in the SBS romantic melodrama That Winter, the Wind Blows, which scored him an Excellence Award nomination at the SBS Drama Awards. In 2016, he was nominated for another Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards for his portrayal of a villainous CEO in the crime thriller Mrs. Cop 2. In 2020, he starred as a half-blood gumiho in the top-rating tvN fantasy drama Tale of the Nine Tailed.

Aside from acting, Kim Bum also ventured into singing. He has so far released two albums, namely Christmas Eve’s Sky and Home Town.

Kim Bum attended Chung-Ang University’s film and theater department. He enlisted for his mandatory military service in April 2018 and was discharged in March 2020. He briefly dated actresses Moon Geun-young and Oh Yeon-seo in the past. He is good friends with fellow actors Jung Il-woo and Lee Min-ho.