Kim's parents used to run Hanbok shop at Gwangjang market in Seoul but later moved to Gwanghwa Island. She graduated from one of nation's prestigious women's schools - Sookmyung Girls' Middle and High School. Kim holds a BA in Vocal Music at Kyung Hee University. She was a member of Seoul Metropolitan Chorus between 1978 and 1982. Kim met her future husband, Moon, during their university years at Kyung Hee University. Their relationship began to develop after she took care of Moon who was then knocked out by tear gas during an anti-Park Chung-hee protest. Moon and Kim married in 1981 when Moon was studying at Judicial Research and Training Institute, after Kim proposed marriage to Moon in an act that was virtually unheard of in South Korea. Due to her easy-going personality Kim has been given the nickname "Jolly Lady" widely popularised during the presidential campaign in 2017. Kim became First Lady of the Republic of Korea on her husband's inauguration as President on 10 May 2017. As First Lady she focuses on minorities in society, such as people with disabilities, single-parent families and elderly people, by hosting related events arranged by the Blue House, making commemorative speeches for related cultural events and visiting related facilities when accompanying her husband's official or state visit to foreign countries. Kim and Moon live with adopted dogs and cats from their home in Yangsan and to now Blue House. At their house in Yangsan they lived with several dogs and cats who were all once abandoned by their previous guardians. Among those, a dog Maru and a cat Jjing-jjing have been confirmed to live with them at the Blue House either by the media or its official social media posts. After coming to the Blue House, a dog Tory was adopted from an animal shelter in contrast with other "First Dogs" who have traditionally been purebred Jindo dogs. They also received a pair of Pungsan dogs male Song-gang and female Gom-ee from Pyongyang as a gift shortly after Inter-Korean Summit in September 2018. Gom-ee later gave birth to six puppies San-ee, Deul-ee, Gang-ee, Byul-ee, Dal-ee and Hen-nim named after Korean words for parts of nature - a mountain, grass field, a river, a star, the Moon and the Sun. On 30 August 2019, six puppies have been sent to Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon and Gwangju leaving their parents at the Blue House. They now live with at least four dogs and a cat at the Blue House.
