In , at the age of three, Kim moved with her family to Beijing , China, and lived there for 10 years which led to her becoming fluent in Mandarin. Director Jung Ji-woo commented on Kim, saying, "She is naturally curious and brave. She's strong in a sense that she isn't influenced easily. She doesn't do things just because everyone else does it. In , Kim was catapulted from obscurity to the center of much media buzz when she was cast as Eun-gyo, a year-old high school student who awakens the lust of two men, in A Muse.