Myong Hee Kim was born in Seoul, Korea. Her mother, Bum Sook Lee, was born in Seoul, and her father, Wan Teck Kim, was born in Pyongyang. Therefore, like countless others, her family is symbolic of their divided homeland. When the Korean War broke out the family was forced to flee from Seoul to Pusan. They returned to Seoul when Myong Hee was nine years old to rebuild their lives in the war devasted country.

The social and economic conditions of the times led to great struggles for many Koreans, including the Kim family. Since Myong Hee's father spent seven years in Tokyo as a student, she feels that he planted a seed which brought her to Kyoto where she has spent the last years.

Originally her main interest was classical music, however when Myong Hee arrived in Japan in 1975 she began to study painting under Japanese masters. This study led to her first solo exhibition at Gallery Sanjo in Kyoto in 1985.

Currently, Myong Hee Kim, while being director of the Peace Mask Project, is also continuing to express herself through her paintings. Most of her recent work is being done at her studio, Kanjian, in Takano, Fukui Prefecture, a small mountainous village located along the northern coast of Honshu Island.

Her residence is in Kyoto, Japan. To know more about her Professional History, click here or visit the Peace Mask Project website.