Kim Lim

Kim Lim
Born	1992
Education	Degree in Business Management
Alma mater	Singapore Institute of Management (SIM)
Spouse(s)	Kho Bin Kai (m. 2017)
Children	Kyden Kho (b. 2017)
Parent(s)	Peter Lim, Venus Teo Geok Fong

Kim Lim (born 1992) is Singaporean socialite, being the daughter of Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim. Despite her social media presence on Instagram where she has over 320,000 followers, Kim keeps a relatively low-profile family life - even managing to keep her pregnancy out of the public eye. However, her connections with high-profile celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Big Bang's Seungri has brought her into the limelight on several occasions. Kim has been described as a down-to-earth person and spends a substantial amount of her time doing charity work.

Background

Early life & family

Peter Lim (pictured) is a Singaporean investor with a net worth of US$2 billion. Photo from Young Parents.

Despite being Peter Lim’s one of two children, Kim maintains that her father let her lead an ordinary childhood and that she only knew of his wealth in her adolescence. Kim's parents divorced when she was four years old. Recounting the seven-year-long divorce to an interviewer in 2019, Kim described it as:

“... the darkest period of [her life]”.

The messy divorce came to an end in 2002 but Kim still remembers shuttling between her parents' homes every two to three days. Kim’s father married Cherie Lim in 2003, who then became Kim’s stepmother.

Education

Kim completed her primary school education at Singapore Chinese Girls School. In a 2018 interview with First Classe, Kim revealed that she had been part of the school's Trim and Fit (TAF) Club and was often bullied for her weight. As a result of the bullying, she developed an eating disorder. After primary school, Kim flew to London where she attended Queenswood - the all-girls boarding school in Hertfordshire - for five years. It was during this time that her bulimia became severe. In a separate interview with 8 Days, Kim shared that:

“... (she) would eat but wouldn’t keep my (her) food down”.

Upon Kim’s return to Singapore, she enrolled in Anglo Chinese School (Independent) and Hwa Chong International School. She later earned a degree in Business Management at Singapore Institute of Management (SIM).

Social status

Kim Lim's stylish posts have given her a reputation as a fashion influencer. Photo from Instagram.

In 2014, Kim reported that she had 80 pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes and 40 Chanel bags. Citing how she used to buy five Chanel bags at one go, Kim states that she has become more prudent in her spending.

Influencer

When Kim first started posting on Instagram, she was recognised as a fashion icon due to her stylish posts. She quickly gained 17,000 followers in one and a half years. As of February 2020, Kim has a following of 267,000. She is seen at local high-society events like ICON Ball and even won the Best Dressed title in 2019. Kim has worked with several brands, most of them beauty companies. She has remarked that she intends to stop being an influencer by the age of 30 to work in the operations and marketing aspect of her father’s business.

Personal life

Mario Ho

In 2016, Kim was rumoured to be dating Mario Ho, the son of the business magnate Stanley Ho, after Mario posted a photo of them on Valentine’s Day. Although they did not publicly confirm their relationship at the time, Kim later clarified that they had dated for less than six months. The relationship ended because of their busy schedules which had caused them to drift apart.

Marriage to Kho Bin Kai

Kim pictured with her husband Bin Kai and their son Kyden. Photo from Young Parents.

Kho Bin Kai and Kim met at a Buddhist temple in Thailand. Kim had been attracted to Bin Kai’s “tall frame and his ‘bad boy’ vibe” and found out later that he was her assistant’s friend. From there, Bin Kai and Kim started getting to know each other. After dating for six months, the pair registered their marriage in February 2017. Only close family members attended their simple ceremony.

Pregnancy

On 5 July 2017, Kim gave birth to her son, Kyden Kho. She had opted for an elective C-section at Thomson Medical Centre, which is also owned by her father. During her pregnancy, Kim stayed off social media as she wanted to keep her pregnancy private. The news of her pregnancy only made headlines when Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo visited Kim and Kyden at the hospital. Following the news, there were speculations that Kim had gotten a shotgun wedding. Kim refuted these rumours in 2018, insisting that she had a planned pregnancy. Three days after giving birth, Kim announced that her wedding celebration was going to be held on 23 March 2018. The banquet was then postponed to October 2018.

Divorce

In an interview with Chinese magazine, Icon Singapore, Kim announced that she had split from her husband, Bin Kai, after being married for a period of three years. It was also revealed that the two of them had been living separately since the tail-end of 2019 and the relationship had run its course and lost its spark.

Kim Lim posing with her fiance. Photo from Instagram.

Engagement to Leslie Leow

An Instagram post of Kim Lim’s Guo Da Li. Photo from Instagram.

On 30 September 2021, Kim uploaded a series of photos to Instagram detailing the intimate, surprise proposal her fiance had planned with the help of her friends. Social media influence, Wendy Cheng, who goes by the moniker XiaXue also posted in an Instagram that Kim had revealed the cost of her engagement ring, and the former said it was equivalent to an HDB flat.

Not much is known about Kim’s fiance, but an article on The Straits Time did report that he was a 33-year-old “self made” man in the IT industry.The man is later revealed to be Leslie Leow.

On 16 February 2022, Kim took to Instagram to showcase her impressive array of betrothal gifts or Guo Da Li which comprised of “15 gold bars, eight pairs of dragon and phoenix bracelets, two gold necklaces with rings and earrings, Rolex watches, Hermès bags and other little luxuries, plus the traditional Chinese wedding kua.” Food items were also part of the Guo Da Li. Behind the ostentatious presentation was The Wedding Atelier and The Floral Atelier, helmed by Lelian Chew.

Lelian also put out an Instagram story documenting more of the items that were a part of the gifts.

“188 of the freshest apples for a peaceful marriage, a pair of the rarest vino to delight a father-in-law, 288 tiers of freshly bakes[sic] sweet cakes to share with their nearest and dearest (who were unable to be there given the current climate) and so much more. Tens of thousands of items each handpicked by L, adorned with the appropriate design detail, each bearing its unique auspicious blessings for the impending marriage.”

The gifts are estimated to cost more than $2 million dollars.

Marriage and pre-wedding dinner

Kim Lim and her fiance tied the knot in an intimate, yet lavish ROM ceremony on 22 February 2022 that was held in her own home. An outdoor photo taking session was also held to commemorate the event with pictures of the newlywed couple against a backdrop of a white and pink rose wall. During the ceremony, her father, Peter Lim, presented the couple with a rare $10,000 bank note and a handwritten note expressing his well wishes.

On 25 February 2022, Kim and Leslie hosted their pre-wedding dinner at 1-Atico at Ion Sky, an exclusive lounge venue with luxurious dining. Guests such as Rebecca Lim and Zoe Tay joined the occasion and were treated to a panoramic view of the city centre, as well as 15,000 black and gold balloons and countless red roses that served as decorations.

Kim and Leslie during their pre-wedding event. Photo from Instagram.

Inspired by The Great Gatsby, both bride and groom, as well as invited socialites doned high fashion pieces. Leslie wore a black three-piece suit with a bowtie, while Kim had three outfit changes - a two-piece from Ivory Bridal embellished with a Bvlgari Serpenti necklace, black Nicole + Felicia outfit, and a one-shoulder dress with a thigh-high slit.

Divorce from Leslie Leow

Just months after Kim Lim's lavish wedding, it was reported that the couple had split. An article published by Must Share News on 2 December 2022 detailed how the marriage "comprised daily quarrels and wasn’t the “sweet and warm” life she had initially envisioned." Kim also went on to say that she might have "rushed into the union too quickly without getting to know the other party well enough" and she "she suffered mentally as a result of her husband’s harsh words". The couple's marriage only lasted two months.

Charity work

Kim pictured in 2019 at a community involvement event. Photo from Instagram.

Kim is said to be a regular volunteer at Apex Day Rehabilitation Centre and Operation Red Shirts. She also donates the money earned from reselling her luxury bags to charities.

COVID-19 community involvement (2020-2021)

In February 2020, Kim partnered with Papilla Haircare and illumia therapeutics in a community effort to teach the elderly on how to protect themselves against the COVID-19 virus. According to her Instagram profile, Kim is the ambassador to the two aforementioned brands. After her highly publicised engagement, Kim, along with her new fiance have teamed up with Fei Siong Group, an F&B company to give back to frontliners. The charity drive aims to deliver two meals to 1,500 frontline hospital workers daily, with effect from 6 November.

“Things have been tough for the frontliners and those invisible people we don’t see working hard in the background, like our cleaners or janitors. We want to remind them, through our love of food, that there are people out here who are cheering them on. We want to thank them for every effort they have put in.”

Mongolia (2018)

In 2018, Kim donated houses to the homeless in Mongolia. She visited the eldercare and childcare homes in Mongolia to understand what the less privileged needed in their homes. While there, she also brought the children to see The Great Mongolian Circus. Her charitable acts were covered by Mongolian media outlets. Kim posted a photograph of the built homes on her Instagram page, captioning it with an aspiration for her son to "understand the joy of paying it forward" when he is older.

Newsworthy incidents

YouTube "Tell-All" with Xiaxue (2023)

On 10 November 2023, Singapore influencer Xiaxue published a video on her personal YouTube channel featuring Kim in the first of a 3-part series about her personal life. In the video, the duo revealed that they first met on a client trip to Europe and Xiaxue sings praises about her loyalty and her down-to-earth personality as a friend.

Rough childhood from her parents' divorce and abuse within the family

Kim details that the physical abuse in the form of beatings and cigarette burns began when she was only 6 or 7 years old, the perpetrator was a family member who she did not name. She went on to emphasize that the perpetrator was not her father, and that the abuse would happen when this family member would return intoxicated. The abuse only came to light and was discovered by her father who after she called out for help.

“Whenever I talk about this period of my life, I try my best not to cry, but it just comes, especially when I remember the cigarette burns, and it’s something I am trying to erase,”

In the video, Kim mentions that the abuse was the trigger that led her father to send her to London for boarding school when she was a mere child at the age of 12.

Extravagant, celebrity-filled birthday bash (2022)

On 24 July 2022, Kim made headlines once more for an elaborate joint birthday party for her 31st birthday and her son, Kyden’s, 5th birthday that was held on 23 July. Titled the “Kandy Karnival”, the party featured a carnival-Pokémon-themed setup complete with various photo taking feature walls, “a 30-feet tall, 1,000kg castle, 3,000-feet drapes, 72 rainbow doors, 10,000 toys and balloons” as revealed by her party planner.

The party also had an equally shiny guest list with celebrities such as Zoe Tay, Xiaxue, JianHao Tan, children from Boys' Town charity and more.

Deleting all Instagram photos of her husband (2022)

In an article published by The Straits Times on 3 June 2022, Kim was said to have deleted all Instagram photos of her current husband, Leslie Leow. These include the photos of her engagement, betrothal gifts and pre-wedding party.

In what is said to be a mirror move of what happened, press were quick to speculate the possibility of a split. Kim Lim did however, come forward to reveal that her actions were a result of her borderline personality disorder. As of 2 August 2022, the photos remain deleted from her Instagram page.

Burning Sun scandal (2019)

Kim Lim and BigBang's Seungri were close friends. Photo from 8 Days.

The “Burning Sun” sex scandal was one that involved the Korean entertainment industry. Seungri had been accused of prostituting girls to wealthy investors. However, he claimed that those allegations were untrue. Instead, Seungri said that those girls were meant to accompany Kim while she shopped in Seoul. Kim had been implicated in the event due to her close friendship with Seungri, a member of the K-pop group Big Bang. The two have been public about their friendship. Once, Seungri was stranded in Bali after a volcano eruption halted airport services. Kim had her father send over a private jet to evacuate Seungri from the island. The two had also attended a Valencia match in Spain where Kim requested for BigBang’s hit song “Fantastic Baby” to be played during half-time.

Kim Lim response

Kim had publicly denied any involvement in the Burning Sun scandal through a series of Instagram stories, stating that:

"I am embroiled in this matter simply because I happened to be there that night. I was simply at the wrong place and at the wrong time."

She added that before people caught wind of the scandal, Seungri had called her and asked her a few “weird questions”. Kim stated that she was left confused after the phone call. The series of posts ended with a warning to news outlets to stop associating her with the saga.

Spat with Valencia Football Club's fans (2016)

Peter Lim purchased Valencia football club in 2014. Photo from Sportskeeda.

In 2016, Kim took a trip to Manchester, United Kingdom where she had attended an English Premier League (EPL) match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC. The tickets had been a gift from her father. She had then posted a photo of the tickets on her Instagram. Given that Kim’s father owns Valencia FC, her post provoked the ire of some Valencia fans. These fans accused Kim of showing support to another team, amongst other negative comments. Initially, Kim did not respond to the comments. However, she later did as she felt that the users were overreacting to the point of cyber-bullying her. The saga eventually died down but not before catching the attention of several media agencies.

Target for kidnapper (2014)

In January 2014, Lee Sze Yong was arrested for the high-profile kidnapping of Lim Hock Chee's elderly mother. His trial began in August 2016 and it was revealed then that Lee’s first targets were Kim Lim and her brother. In 2018, Kim revealed in an interview that being kidnapped was a real concern for her. As a result, Kim has a security detail to protect her.

"Sponsor" for blogger's birthday bash (2014)

In 2014, Kim was in the public eye after a lifestyle blogger, Sara Shantelle Lim, name-dropped her as one of the “sponsors” for the latter’s lavish birthday bash. The event received much criticism from the general public. Following the backlash, Sara posted a press-release calling Kim a “good friend”, to which Kim denied. Kim stated the following:

"I was a little pissed off and upset that both my father and I were name-dropped in the press release. Now I am dragged into this saga when I didn't even want to be involved."

The duo had met each other through a mutual friend. Kim had contributed S$1,500 worth of beer to the party in exchange for a complimentary eyebrow embroidery service that Sara had offered her earlier.