Kim was born to Korean-American immigrants, the youngest of eight children. He was raised in ‘Ola‘a in what was then the Territory of Hawaii. They resided in a one-bedroom house with no electricity or running water. He and his siblings would often work for the family business and perform other chores to the point where he was surprised when he learned of a typical weekend. He attended Ola'a School and Hilo High School. He then attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo and graduated from Southern Oregon State University. He served in the United States Army as a medic and was a teacher and coach. Kim served for 16 years as County Director of Civil Defense. As Director, Kim would go on the radio and would update the residents of Hawai'i.
First Tenure as Mayor
Kim announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for mayor in 2000. After defeating Democrat turned Republican State Representative Harvey Tajiri in the primary Kim won the general election with 50% of the vote. His opponents, Democratic candidate Fred Holschuh and Green Party candidate Keiko Bonk received 30 and 20 percent, respectively. In 2004, Kim ran for a second term, easily winning reelection. While Kim first ran for mayor as a Republican, he considers himself nonpartisan. Until he ran for mayor, his only visible political activity had been backing Democratic mayor Lorraine Inouye. In 2006, prominent Democrats including former Governor Ben Cayetano, then-U.S. Representatives Neil Abercrombie and party chairmanMike McCartney encouraged Kim to run for governor against Linda Lingle. On July 22, 2006, shortly before the filing deadline, he removed his name from consideration. During his first eight years in office, Kim advocated, among other initiatives, recycling projects and the creation of a new County office complex in the place of the defunct Kaikoo Mall.
In 2012, Kim ran for mayor once more against his successor, Billy Kenoi. Kim lost by 1,438 votes, earning 49% to Kenoi's 51%.
Return to the Mayor's office
In the wake of Kenoi's alleged misuse of a purchasing card issued by Hawaii County, Kim said on Thursday, March 3, 2016, that he had decided to run again, this time on a campaign to restore trust in government. He was elected mayor in primary voting on August 13, 2016, when he received more than 50% of the votes cast in a field of 13 candidates, thereby avoiding a runoff election in November. In keeping with a commitment he had made in every campaign to accept no more than a $10 donation from any individual, Kim spent a total of $21,931 in 2016, for a per-vote cost of $1.06. His nearest competitor spent $220,289, for a per-vote cost of $22.11. On June 5, 2018, Hawaii County officials confirmed that a home Kim owned in Vacationland Hawaii was claimed by the lava flow from the 2018 lower Puna eruption of Kīlauea.
