Magnus was born in Busan, South Korea, to a Norwegian father and South Korean mother.[2] The family settled in Bærum, Norway, where Magnus joined the skiing club Fossum IF.[3]
With the 2018 Winter Olympics being held in his country of birth South Korea, Magnus realized that the competition in Norway was too tough for him to gain an Olympic spot at the age of 20. He declared his allegiance for South Korea already in 2016. He competed under the South Korean surname Kim.[3] He went to school in Norway, the Norwegian School of Elite Sport at Geilo.[4] On 19 May 2018 he changed his nationality back to Norway.[5] He took a cross-country skiing scholarship with the University of Colorado.[6]
He had made his Cross-Country Skiing World Cup in December 2015 in Lillehammer, finishing a lowly 66th. His first and only top-30 placements came in sprint events in March 2018, finishing 19th in Drammen and 27th in Falun.[7]
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