[6] Early in her career, Kang worked for the Korean Broadcasting System[7] as a producer of English Service Division of Radio Korea.

Between and after her career in academia, she assisted several speakers of the National Assembly of South Korea on global issues in human rights, advancement of women and parliamentary diplomacy as presidential secretary for international relations and an interpreter.

[citation needed] From September 2001 to July 2005, Kang was Minister-Counselor and later Minister at Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations.

[citation needed] Kang held key roles in the United Nations under three consecutive Secretaries-General, from Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon to the current officeholder, Antonio Guterres.

In September 2006, Kofi Annan appointed her as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, equivalent to Assistant Secretary-General, after seeing her potential when she chaired the UN commission on women.

Later in February 2017, she continued to work with Secretary-General Guterres as his Senior Advisor on Policy, equivalent to Under-Secretary-General, before resigning for the foreign minister of South Korea.

With public statements of support from a trade union of the Ministry,[11] Japanese military sex slaves, or widely known as "comfort women",[12] Korea NGO Council for Overseas Development Cooperation, and her eleven predecessors,[13] respectively, along with the public support of 60% and more, President Moon appointed her as his first foreign minister, a post that requires a nomination hearing but not the expressed approval from the legislature, in June 2017.

[15] During her talks with Hansung University students, she revealed that she had never met President Moon in person before her conferment ceremony at the Blue House.

[16] She is the third head of the ministry to attend the high-level segment of the regular sessions of the Human Rights Council after her predecessors Ban Ki-moon and Yun Byung-se.