Kim Hye‑ja (born 28 February 1938) is a South Korean pop singer who adopted the stage name Patti Kim. After graduating from Seoul Jungang Girls’ High School, she debuted in 1959 at a performance for the Eighth United States Army, and in 1963 she gained national attention with the adapted hit "Sarangui maengse" (Pledge of Love). Patti Kim’s early career was marked by frequent collaborations with composer Gil Ok‑yun, producing a series of successful recordings such as "Sarangui changa" and "Saranghaneun Maria". Between 1963 and 1972, the duo released roughly 70 albums and 500‑600 songs, establishing Patti Kim as a prominent figure in Korean pop.In 1978 she became the first Korean pop artist to perform at Sejong Center, a venue previously reserved for classical musicians. The following year she recorded "Sarangui maengse" in Japan, becoming the first South Korean singer to perform there after the end of Japanese occupation. Patti Kim continued to release compilations-including 패티김 베스트 1, 패티김 베스트 2, and 패티김 45주년 라이브 콘서트: I Did It My Way - and performed internationally, notably at Carnegie Hall in 1989 and on The Johnny Carson Show. In 1996 she received the Hwagwan Cultural Merit, the third singer to be honored after Kim Jeong‑gu and Lee Mi‑ja. Patti Kim retired in 2013, leaving a legacy of over 600 recordings and a pioneering presence in Korean popular music.
