金明子博士目前担任韩国可持续发展工商理事会（KBCSD）会长，并于2016年2月当选为韩国科技学会联合会成立50年以来的首位女性会长。金明子博士同时还担任韩国科学技术院（KAST）、韩国环境科学学院（KAES）、可持续科学协会、联合国可持续发展解决方案韩国网络（SDSN Korea）、韩国社区福利基金、亚洲社会福利基金会等四十家私立和公立机构的董事会成员或特别顾问。她还是首尔国立大学校友会的副会长和韩国科学技术院（KAIST）的特聘客座教授。

2004年至2008年，金明子博士就任韩国国民大会议员，担任国防委员会副主席和国民大会道德委员会委员长；2008年至今，担任“绿色韩国21”论坛主席。1999年至2003年，担任环境部部长，并成为韩国宪政史上任期最长的女性部长。在她的领导下，2001年、2002年韩国环境部连续两年荣获“政府管理卓越表现奖”。金博士早期从事化学与科学史的教学研究，并于1994年被授予“科技先进总统奖”。她的科学期刊发表物包括托马斯·S·库恩《科学革命的结构》的韩语译版、《熵》、《科学和现代社会》，以及《科学和环境运动的东西方传统》等。

金博士于1966年获得首尔国立大学化学学士学位，于1971年获得弗吉尼亚大学博士学位。2015年4月荣获张钟贤科技奖章，2015年10月获得首尔国立大学荣誉校友奖，2004年4月荣获蓝带勤政勋章。

Dr. Kim Myung Ja currently serves as the Chairperson of the Korean Business Council on Sustainable Development (KBCSD), and was elected as the first female President in the history of 50 years of the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies last February. She is also serving as a board member or a special advisor to about forty private and public institutions, such as the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), the Korean Academy of Environment Science (KAES), the Sustainable Science Society, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Korea Network (SDSN Korea), Community Chest of Korea, Asan Social Welfare Foundation, Vice-president of the Alumni Association of Seoul National University, Visiting Distinguished Professor at KAIST and so forth.
Prior to becoming the Chairperson of the Green Korea 21 Forum in 2008, she served as the Member of the National Assembly (2004-08) sitting on the Defense Committee as Vice- chairperson and also as Chairperson of the Ethics Committee of the National Assembly. Prior to her election as the lawmaker, Dr. Kim has served as the Minister of Environment (1999-2003) to become the longest serving female minister in the constitutional history of Korea. Under her leadership, the Ministry of Environment was decorated with the Excellence in Government Administration Award for two consecutive years (2001, 2002).
Previously, Dr. Kim had been in academia for three decades as a professor of chemistry and history of science and was awarded the Presidential Award for the Advancement of Science and Technology (1994). Her numerous scientific publications include the Korean translation of “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” by Thomas S. Kuhn, and “Entropy”; and published “Science and Modern Society”, “The Oriental and Occidental Tradition of Science and Environmental Movement” and many others. Dr. Kim holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Seoul National University (’66) and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia (’71). Her numerous awards include the Presidential High Decoration of `Changjo-jang' in Science and Technology(2015.4), Seoul National University’s Proud Alumni Award(2015. 10), Blue Stripes Order of Service Merit(2004. 4).