Kim was born in Incheon to a large, modern family. She attended Christian schools as a girl. She attended Ewha Girls School. Between graduating from Ewha, she "established the national YWCA Korea" in 1922. Then she went to Wesleyan College where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1924. Kim went to Boston University for a master's in philosophy (1931) and then received her PhD in education from Columbia University in 1931.
Kim later became dean of a girls' college (Ewha College) in 1931. By the time of her death, this school will have become the largest women's university in the world.
In 1945, Kim, O Ch'ǒn-sǒk, Yu Ŏk-kyǒm and Paek Nak-chun formed the Korean Committee on Education. This committee worked with the United States in the Education Bureau, making recommendations about schools and their staff.
Kim became Director of the Office of Public Information for President Syngman Rhee in 1948. In 1949, she attended the United Nations General Assembly in Boston. As the Director of the Office of Public Information, she recommended that an English newspaper was needed. She chose the name of the paper, deciding that The Korea Times was the best name for representing the whole country. The newspaper was published on November 1, 1950.
