Sue Kim Bonifazio
Dublin Core
Title
Sue Kim Bonifazio
Subject
Source
Women in Nevada History: A Legacy Digital Project
Publisher
Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN)
Rights
This resource is available for education and research purposes. This collection is a collaboration and combination of various projects including, but not limited to; the Women in Nevada History: A Legacy Digital Project, the Nevada Women’s Archives, the Las Vegas Women Oral History Project and the Makers: Women in Nevada History Project, a co-production of the Women's Research Institute of Nevada and VegasPBS. The text, images, audio and video in this collection are under copyright by different repositories and may not be reproduced without express written consent of the appropriate entities.
Person Item Type Metadata
Work/Contribution
Entertainment
(The Kim Sisters Trio)
(The Kim Sisters Trio)
Birth Date
1941
Birthplace
Arrival in Las Vegas
1959
Interviewer
Date of Interview
1996
Biographical Text
Sue Kim Bonifazio as one third of the Kim Sisters came to Las Vegas in 1959 and began performing at the Thunderbird Hotel. Sue Kim performed regularly until 1991, when she retired and began working in real estate. The Kim Sisters became a popular act in the early years of the Las Vegas Strip.
The Kim Sisters, Sue Kim, Ai-ja, and Mia, gained fame while singing for American GIs in war-torn Korea. They did not speak English, but memorized songs phonetically and played traditional instruments. Their talented renditions of familiar songs, including Elvis’ hit songs, impressed Americans. With an orchestra leader as their father and their well-known singer mother, the girls had plenty of training in music. Unfortunately, North Korean forces assassinated their father, Hae Song Kim. After his death, their mother taught the children how to perform, including dance and instrument lessons, as a means of provided the support for the family.
An American agent saw the Kim Sisters perform in Korea and booked them for a four-week engagement at the Thunderbird Hotel as part of the China Doll Revue in the main showroom in Las Vegas. This job started their successful international career. The sisters’ charisma and talent made them quick successes in the United States and they achieved nationwide fame.
In 1959, they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. They proved popular with the show’s audience and were guests on the show a total of 22 times, the most appearances of any person or group. Their popularity was at its height at the end of the 1960s, when they performed throughout the United States and Europe. Their success enabled the sisters to help more than forty family members immigrate to the United States.
The sisters all married in the late 1960s. Following the death of her sister, Sue Kim began performing with her brothers. She retired in 1991, and began working in real estate. She also works to improve the Korean community in Las Vegas.
The Kim Sisters, Sue Kim, Ai-ja, and Mia, gained fame while singing for American GIs in war-torn Korea. They did not speak English, but memorized songs phonetically and played traditional instruments. Their talented renditions of familiar songs, including Elvis’ hit songs, impressed Americans. With an orchestra leader as their father and their well-known singer mother, the girls had plenty of training in music. Unfortunately, North Korean forces assassinated their father, Hae Song Kim. After his death, their mother taught the children how to perform, including dance and instrument lessons, as a means of provided the support for the family.
An American agent saw the Kim Sisters perform in Korea and booked them for a four-week engagement at the Thunderbird Hotel as part of the China Doll Revue in the main showroom in Las Vegas. This job started their successful international career. The sisters’ charisma and talent made them quick successes in the United States and they achieved nationwide fame.
In 1959, they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. They proved popular with the show’s audience and were guests on the show a total of 22 times, the most appearances of any person or group. Their popularity was at its height at the end of the 1960s, when they performed throughout the United States and Europe. Their success enabled the sisters to help more than forty family members immigrate to the United States.
The sisters all married in the late 1960s. Following the death of her sister, Sue Kim began performing with her brothers. She retired in 1991, and began working in real estate. She also works to improve the Korean community in Las Vegas.
Collection
Citation
“Sue Kim Bonifazio,” Makers Teaching Modules, accessed September 4, 2026, https://makersteachingmodules.sites.unlv.edu/items/show/10.