Kim replaces Sarah Murray, an American coach, who was in charge of the historic unified North and South Korean side that competed in this year's Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang.

Murray left after Pyeongchang 2018 and in May was appointed the coach of Owatonna High School's girls' team in her native Minnesota.

Kim will combine coaching the senior team with continuing to oversee the under-18 squad, the Korea Ice Hockey Association President Chung Mong-won revealed upon announcing his appointment. 

They claimed it would help the development of young teenage players into the senior squad as it tries to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. 

The 50-year-old Kim has been coaching since 1996. 

South Korea qualified as hosts for Pyeongchang 2018 before they joined forces with their neighbours in the North.

A total of 12 players from North Korea participated alongside 23 from the South in an enlarged squad at Pyeongchang 2018.

The unified team lost their five matches at Pyeongchang 2018 and finished last out of the eight teams that competed in the tournament.

They scored in two games and their smallest margin of defeat came in the fifth-to-eighth place semi-finals, when they lost 2-0 to Switzerland.

A total of 10 teams are due to compete at Beijing 2022, two more than at Pyeonghang 2018. 

China have already been given one of the places as the host nation. 

There was also a coaching change for the men's national team in South Korea after it was announced that former National Hockey League forward Richard Park will not return as an assistant to Jim Paek. 

Lee Chang-young, one-time assistant on the South Korean club Anyang Halla, will join Paek as assistant.