Belonging to the Gimhae Kim clan,[REF] Kim Chong-kon was born in Miryang, Keishō-nandō of the Japanese Korea (now South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea) on November 21, 1930, and spent years studying at Jinhae High School [REF].
On January 31, 1967, Kim ended his tenure as the captain of Chungmu, and was assigned to a naval station () as its chief of staff in 1968 [REF].