Kim Hye Ja, know professionally as Patti Kim, is a retired South Korean singer. She debuted in 1959 and featured heavily in the entertainment scene in the 60s and 70s. She was the first South Korean singer to perform in Japan (following the end of the Japanese occupation of Korea), in Las Vegas, and on The Johnny Carson Show. In 1978, Kim became the first Korean pop singer to perform at the stage of the Sejong Center, which only allowed for classical musicians at that time. In 1989, she performed in Carnegie Hall in New York City and in 1996, she was awarded the prestigious Hwagwan Cultural Merit by the South Korean government as only the third singer to receive it. Kim retired in 2013.
(Source: Wikipedia)
