The year he turned 17, he danced Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake at the Korea National Ballet. Newsis writes that it was the youngest lead debut at a professional ballet company in Korea. The next year he performed with Sae Eun Park in La Bayadère at Universal Ballet.
In 2011 he joined the Mariinsky Ballet in Russia as the first Asian male dancer. In January 2012 he danced the lead in Le Corsaire as a trainee, and in April he won prizes at the Perm International Ballet Competition and the Youth America Grand Prix. He became a soloist that year, and in November he came to Korea with the Mariinsky Ballet to dance in Swan Lake. The year he turned 23, he became a principal dancer of the Mariinsky Ballet. He was the first Asian male dancer to reach that rank at the company. In June he appeared as a guest in La Bayadère at ABT.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 24, he received the Benois de la Danse award for best male dancer as the first Korean male dancer to do so, and his name became known in the ballet world. Yonhap News Agency writes that he began to draw attention as a star danseur worldwide after this award.
In 2017 he returned to the Korean stage after five years with Swan Lake, together with the Mariinsky Primorsky Stage Ballet. In 2018 he appeared in Giselle at Universal Ballet and in October danced the Prince in The Little Mermaid in New York. In November he danced Don Quixote with the Mariinsky Ballet, on its first Korea tour in six years. In 2019 he gave a recital at the Mariinsky Theatre, An Artistic Evening with Kimin Kim. In 2021 he gave a recital for his 10th anniversary at the Mariinsky.
In 2022 he met Korean audiences for the first time in four years at the Ballet Supreme 2022 Gala Concert. In 2023 he received the Golden Soffit for best male dancer for Ta-Hor in The Pharaoh’s Daughter. In 2024 he signed with the Korean agency Mast Media and appeared on tvN’s You Quiz on the Block. In November he danced in La Bayadère at the Korea National Ballet.
In 2025 he danced Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty at the Mariinsky Theatre, and in December signed a management contract with Prain Global. In 2026 he danced Bolero in Seoul with Béjart Ballet Lausanne, and in August reorganized and directed Don Quixote Suite for the Korea National University of Arts School of Dance 30th anniversary performance.
Kimin Kim (born 1992) joined the Mariinsky Ballet, as reported on Jun 22, 2011, the year he turned 19, and became known in the ballet world when he received the Benois de la Danse award for best male dancer on May 17, 2016, the year he turned 24, as the first Korean male dancer to do so. He became a principal dancer in 2015, the year he turned 23.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Danced a lead role at the Korea National Ballet as a teenager. Newsis writes that it was the youngest lead debut at a professional ballet company in Korea.
Source 04 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · 13 people who will light up Korea’s future · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Newsis (Korean) · Benois de la Danse win · opens in a new tab The performance date is confirmed only to the month.Seoul Culture Today writes that he performed in La Bayadère at Universal Ballet with Sae Eun Park.
Source 26 · Seoul Culture Today (Korean) · La Bayadère review · opens in a new tab The month and day of the performance are not confirmed in the articles.Yonhap News Agency writes that he joined as the first Asian male dancer. This is the date his admission was reported as confirmed.
Source 05 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Joins the Mariinsky Ballet · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Promoted to principal dancer · opens in a new tab A 2015 Yonhap article gives November 2011 as the time he joined.Yonhap News Agency writes that he became a soloist the year after he joined.
Source 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Promoted to principal dancer · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Newsis (Korean) · Benois de la Danse win · opens in a new tab The date of the promotion is not confirmed.Danced the lead role of Ali as a trainee, ahead of his formal admission.
Source 06 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Le Corsaire at the Mariinsky Theatre · opens in a new tabSegye Ilbo writes that he took the top prize at the 12th competition.
Source 07 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Perm International Ballet Competition · opens in a new tabSource 08 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Youth America Grand Prix · opens in a new tab Dong-A Ilbo describes the result as the grand prix and gives early April as the time, so the date follows Segye Ilbo.Took the grand prix at the competition that closed in New York.
Source 08 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Youth America Grand Prix · opens in a new tab This is the closing date (local time); the date the grand prix was announced is not confirmed.Danced Prince Siegfried on the second night at the Sejong Center.
Source 09 · Munhwa Ilbo (Korean) · Interview ahead of the Mariinsky’s Korea tour · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · 13 people who will light up Korea’s future · opens in a new tab The performances were Nov. 12 and 13; the date follows Munhwa Ilbo’s account that he led on the second night.Yonhap News Agency writes that he was the first Asian male dancer to become a principal at the company. It came a little over three years after he joined.
Source 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Promoted to principal dancer · opens in a new tabSource 11 · Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · Promoted to principal dancer · opens in a new tab Yonhap gives the date of the announcement as the 13th and Kukmin Ilbo as the 14th.Danced a lead role with Hee Seo as a guest at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Maeil Business Newspaper writes that he was the first Korean male dancer to take a leading role at ABT.
Source 12 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Two Korean dancers who lit up New York · opens in a new tab This is a pre-performance report. The performances were on June 1 and 6, and the article does not confirm which dates he danced.Received it as the first Korean male dancer to do so. Yonhap News Agency writes that he began to draw attention as a star danseur worldwide after this award.
Seoul Economic Daily writes that he returned to the Korean stage after five years, dancing the lead in Swan Lake with the Mariinsky Primorsky Stage Ballet.
Source 14 · Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · Don Quixote Korea tour · opens in a new tab The performance date is confirmed only to the month.Seoul Economic Daily writes that he performed in Giselle with Universal Ballet.
Source 14 · Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · Don Quixote Korea tour · opens in a new tab The performance date is confirmed only to the month.Danced the Prince in two performances over two days at New York City Center.
Source 13 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · The Little Mermaid New York premiere · opens in a new tab The performances were on Oct. 20 and 21; the date given is the first day.Danced at the Sejong Center with the Mariinsky Ballet, on its first Korea tour in six years.
Source 14 · Seoul Economic Daily (Korean) · Don Quixote Korea tour · opens in a new tabGave a recital at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Source 22 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Recital at the Mariinsky Theatre · opens in a new tab Based on the pre-performance report by Yonhap.Held as the closing performance of White Nights Stars at the Mariinsky Theatre.
Source 15 · Newsis (Korean) · 10th anniversary recital · opens in a new tabMet Korean audiences for the first time in four years at the gala performance at the Haeoreum Theater.
Source 21 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · First domestic stage in four years · opens in a new tab The performances ran Aug. 18 to 20; the date given is the first day. Based on a pre-performance report.Korea Economic Daily writes that he received it for Ta-Hor in The Pharaoh’s Daughter.
Source 23 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · The Sleeping Beauty review · opens in a new tab The month and day of the award are not confirmed in the articles.Mast Media announced a management contract to support his activities in Korea.
Source 16 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Exclusive contract with Mast Media · opens in a new tabAppeared as a guest on the “Great Birth” special.
Source 17 · Xports News (Korean) · You Quiz on the Block · opens in a new tabInvited by the Korea National Ballet, he danced on Nov. 1 and 3.
Source 16 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Exclusive contract with Mast Media · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · The two leading Korean ballet companies’ La Bayadère · opens in a new tabSource 26 · Seoul Culture Today (Korean) · La Bayadère review · opens in a new tabDanced the lead role with Viktoria Tereshkina at the Mariinsky Theatre.
Source 23 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · The Sleeping Beauty review · opens in a new tabKorea Economic Daily writes that 2026 is the 15th anniversary of his joining the Mariinsky.
Source 18 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Exclusive contract with Prain Global · opens in a new tabDanced the lead in Bolero at GS Arts Center in Seoul, on the Béjart Ballet Lausanne Korea tour. Newdaily introduces him as the first Korean to do so.
Source 24 · Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Bolero review · opens in a new tabSource 19 · Newdaily (Korean) · BBL Bolero · opens in a new tabSource 20 · YTN (Korean) · Ballet renaissance · opens in a new tab The performances were Apr. 24 to 26; the date follows the Apr. 25 performance covered in the Korea Economic Daily review.Reorganized and directed Don Quixote Suite, the second part of the performance at the Haeoreum Theater, and danced Basilio.
Source 25 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Korea National University of Arts School of Dance 30th anniversary · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2009–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Arts · South Korea
1992 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1992: the year of the event minus 1992, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.10.06 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.