Namhee Chon was born in 1960 in South Korea.  She holds a Master's degree in Philosophy and Sinology from the Free University of Berlin. Before she met the teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn in 1989 in Warsaw, she learned Yoga and meditation in India. Together with her husband she established the Zen Center in Berlin in 1990 and later the Kwan Um School of Zen of Germany. She received transmission in April 2017 and lives with her family near Berlin.