In 1911, he visited Jokdol Kim Jong-geun in Donui-dong, a fund-raising institution, to establish the Independence Military Academy in northern Gando. However, he ended up being sent to Seodaemun Prison for two years and six months, for his subversive activities. During his sentence, he encountered Kim Gu. After his release from prison in 1913, he wrote a poem, "If a man makes a mistake, it is difficult to tolerate, and if the governor tries to live, he must wait again." In 1916, Kim joined the Korea Liberation Corps, which was formed by Park Sang-jin and Chae Ki-joong, together with Nobalin and Shin Hyun-dae. In 1918, he fled to Manchuria to escape the Japanese rule of Korea, and there signed the Korean Declaration of Independence together with 39 other Korean representatives, a prelude to the March 1st Independence Movement.