[3] She rose to fame after winning the KBS National Singing Contest in 2008 at the age of 11, earning her a reputation as a gugak prodigy.

[6] She studied under Gyeonggi folk singers Park Seok-sun and Lee Ho-yeon, the latter of whom is classified as a "Living National Treasure" by the South Korean government.

She learned to play traditional Korean percussion instruments under samul nori master Lee Gwang-su.

[citation needed] Her appearance on Star King in 2008 led her to another important training opportunity from Master Lee Ho-yeon, who is a specialist in Gyeonggi minyo.

Having been impressed by So-hee's talent, Master Lee volunteered to provide training for her on a regular basis.

Also, her Bangulmok, a singing technique of Korean traditional music is exquisite"[9] Since 2008, she has been invited to perform at various events, both at home and abroad.

In 2014, she prematurely terminated her exclusive contract with Deokin Media following the sexual assault of a fellow singer under the label by the CEO's brother.