Sam Soon KIM was a female scientist who pioneered mycology in South Korea. She not only created the Korean Society of Mycology and the Korean Journal of Mycology but also achieved extraordinary results in the studies of mycology. After returning from Kyushu University in Japan in 1966, she turned her attention to the applied research of microorganisms. Kim pursued an earnest exploration of the practical values of bacteria in addition to those of fungi and mushrooms. Then, with the founding of the Korean Society of Mycology in 1972, she emerged as the central figure in the rare academia of mycology. Particularly, mushroom research, which had been stagnant, became revitalized by the joining of researchers from the Rural Development Administration. Taking this as momentum, Kim moved beyond applied research, such as mushroom cultivation, and led the mushroom name unification plan from 1978. She also studied mushroom classification and eventually launched publishing an illustrated book of mushrooms. These fruits of her long-term research trajectory led her to be known as a mushroom expert.