Kim Yong-ok (literally "Gold Dragon Jade") was born June 14, 1948, in Cheonan.

[2] Once a leading professor of the Oriental Classics at Korea University, Kim became a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a playwright and movie-director, and is now professor emeritus of Chung-ang University.

He lectures on KBS TV on his modern interpretations of classical Daoism (Lao-tzu), the Analects of Confucius, and Zen Buddhism (the Diamond Sutra).

[3] Kim graduated from Korea University with a bachelor's degree in philosophy.

[4] In June 2019, Kim was sued for defamation by the family of former president Syngman Rhee for his speeches on his talk show Do-ol Ah-in Going All Directions, where he allegedly called Rhee a puppet of the United States and the Soviet Union who was responsible for the Division of Korea and the mass murder of Jeju people in the Jeju Uprising.