Yong Shik Kim was a lawyer and President of Organizing Committee during the Games of the XXIV Olympiad in 1988. He graduated from the Law College of Chuo University in Tokyo in 1937.

He has twice served as Foreign Minister of Korea (in 1962 and from 1971 to 1973) and has also held the posts of National Unification Minister (1973–74) and Minister without Portfolio (1963). His distinguished diplomatic career began with posts as Consul General in Hong Kong and Honolulu, and progressed with assignments as Minister in the Korean embassies to Japan and France, and then Minister with the Korean mission in Geneva. He then became Ambassador to Great Britain, concurrently to the Scandinavian countries,(1961–62), to the Philippines (1962–63), to the United Nations, concurrently Canada (1964–70), and to the United States (1977–81). He was also special assistant to the President of the Republic of Korea for Foreign Affairs (1970–71).

Upon his retirement from the foreign service, Mr. Yong Shik Kim took the posts of President of the Republic of Korea Red Cross, Chairman of the Committee for Promotion of Home Visits by Overseas Koreans, Chairman of the Committee for Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Korean US Relations, and, in 1981, President of the Seoul Olympic Organising Committee. Despite his busy schedule, Mr. Kim maintains an active interest in amateur sports and athletics