On October 21, 1987, she did not even reveal the fact that she accompanied Roh at an election rally in Daejeon, which gave off a strong feeling that she was promoting the image of an ordinary wife, as a basic strategy to gain electoral votes for her husband.

From the start of her tenure as First Lady, Kim made appearances at public events, such as the opening ceremony of the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul and Pope John Paul II's visit to South Korea in October 1989.

However, Kim had formed blood ties with ten households with boys and girls for over 20 years and gave them humane and financial help.

During her tenure, she frequently visited large cities such as Seoul and Busan, as well as orphanages and nursing homes located in remote areas of the country.

It was believed that Kim was originally a very active and an outgoing woman, but due to corruption and extravagant behavior of previous first lady Lee Soon-ja, she decided to maintain reclusiveness with her public image on purpose.

Initially opposed to Kim Young-sam's policy, she changed her mind during her mandate and tried to persuade those around her to vote for him, in order to better prepare for the transition between her husband's government and the next.

Soh is married to the chairman of the South Korean group SK Corporation Chey Tae-won, with their divorce proceedings underway since 2017.