Soo-Jung Shin received her musical studies at the Seoul National University, the Vienna Academy of Music (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Wien) and the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore, U.S.A. Her teachers included Chung Jin-Woo, Josef Dichler, Leon Fleisher, Wilhelm Kempff and Maria Curzio Diamond. She won many prizes in music competitions including the Dong-A National Competition in Korea, the Elena Rombro Stepanow Competition in Vienna among others. She was also awarded the Korean Academy of Arts Award. In 2011 Shin received the Bundesverdienstkreuz Erster Klasse in Germany.
Soo-Jung Shin has performed with orchestras such as London Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, KBS and NHK Symphony under the batons of Lim Won-Shik, Leon Fleisher, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Sir John Pritchard, Asahina Takashi, Iwaki Hiroyuki, Myung-whun Chung and others.
She has served as jury of international competitions including ARD, Seoul, Tokyo, Köln, UNISA, Dublin, Hamamatsu, Sendai and Leeds International Music Competitions.
At the age of 26, Soo-Jung Shin became the youngest faculty member at her alma mater, College of Music, School National University. She taught also at Seoul High School of Arts and Kyung Won University where she served as Dean of the School of Music. In 2000 she returned to Seoul National University, where she taught until 2007. She was elected as Dean of the College of Music, first woman in its history. In 2009, she was elected as member of the National Academy of Arts, Korea. Shin is currently Professor Emeritus of Seoul National University.