TRENDING
June 21, 2023
She was once one of the brightest stars of North Korean cinema, a beloved actress whose face graced films and stages across the country. Woo In-hee rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, earning the coveted title of “People’s Actress.” She was admired for her talent, elegance, and ability to embody the ideals of womanhood celebrated by the regime. Her performances made her a cultural icon and a trusted figure in the arts, but they also brought her into the orbit of the ruling elite.
Behind the screen, a hidden story was unfolding. Woo is remembered not only for her artistry but also for her secret involvement with Kim Jong Il, who at the time was rising in power and influence. Their relationship, known only to a small circle, was concealed from the public eye. In a society where private lives were tightly controlled, such secrets carried immense risk.
The turn in Woo’s fate came when she became involved with another man, an ethnic Korean from Japan who worked at a North Korean radio station. Their relationship became a scandal within the inner circle after a tragic accident exposed her private life to authorities. During questioning, Woo reportedly revealed her prior relationship with Kim Jong Il. That admission proved disastrous.
In 1981, Woo In-hee was executed at a military training ground near Pyongyang. Accounts describe a large public spectacle, with thousands ordered to watch as she was tied to a post and shot by a firing squad. Her husband was said to have been among the witnesses. The event was staged not only as punishment but also as a warning to others about the consequences of crossing the regime.
After her death, the state moved swiftly to erase her memory. Films in which she had appeared were edited to remove her image, her name was deleted from credits, and her likeness was pulled from magazines and catalogs. To speak of her was forbidden. In a society that relies on control of both image and narrative, Woo’s erasure was a second death, designed to wipe away her existence as though she had never been.
The story of Woo In-hee endures not simply because of its cruelty, but because it reveals the machinery of power in North Korea. Her life reflects the ways fame and art can draw individuals close to authority, while her death illustrates how quickly the same authority can extinguish them. Her disappearance from the screen became a symbol of how the state controls both memory and forgetting.
For those who knew her work, Woo In-hee remains a tragic figure, a woman who embodied beauty and talent yet was destroyed by secrets too dangerous to speak. She was a star whose light was deliberately snuffed out, leaving only a haunting absence where once there was brilliance.