Born in 1889 as the second son of Kim Hyeong-gyo, the 12th grandson of Seonwon, Kim Sang-yong, Kim was described as a broad-minded and intelligent child. When he was 3 years old, his father died and he grew up under severe education by his mother, Hansan Lee. In 1904, he married Oh Sook-geun. Kim Chwa-chin moved to Seoul in 1905 in order to attend an Army Military Academy, later establishing the Namyeon School in 1907, where modern academic disciplines were taught.