In 1971 Kim was the only woman admitted to study at Seoul National University College of Engineering which building then only had men's bathrooms.

[1][2] Upon return from studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kim took several notable urban planning projects such as creating Sanbon Newtown, one of satellite cities of Seoul, and restructuring Insa-dong.

[3] She took numerous policy advisory roles to the government of both conservative and liberal presidents and major construction projects like Sejong City.

[4][5] For the 2012 general election, Kim applied to earn Democratic Party's nomination for Seoul Mapo A constituency but lost to Noh Woong-rae.

[7] On 8 March 2021 Kim submitted her resignation as a member of the National Assembly to focus on her campaign as mayor of the capital of the country.