Kang competed for South Korea in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland in the bantamweight event where he finished in third place. In the quarterfinals, he defeated future World Featherweight champion Davey Moore of United States by a 2-1 decision. He was defeated in the semifinals; no bronze medal was awarded at the Games, but in 1970, AIBA and IOC awarded all semifinal losers from 1952 to 1968 bronze medals.[1]