Yunjin Kim was born on November 7, 1973 in Seoul, South Korea. Kim was only ten years old when she and her family moved to the United States. While she was in 7th grade, she was a member of her middle school’s drama club, and as a result, got the opportunity to perform in a production of My Fair Lady. In pursuit of an acting career, Kim relocated to NY City, where she graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. For her tertiary education, she enrolled at the London Academy of Performing Arts, where she majored in drama, and ultimately obtained her acting degree from Boston University.

William Morris, an American agency, offered a three-year contract to Kim in 2003. Less than a year later, Jin became one of the cast members of the hit television series, Lost. Her role gave her the opportunity to share a 2006 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with the rest of the Lost cast. In 2006, Kim made it to Maxim’s Hot 100 List, was placed on the cover of and given a spread in Stuff Magazine. A year later, she again was featured in Maxim magazine, where she was dubbed as The Korean Julia Roberts. She is a spokesmodel for a Japanese cosmetic line called Kanebo, and is a trained dancer and martial arts fighter.