U In-hui

Woo In-hee (; 1940–1981) was a North Korean actress and a mistress of Kim Jong Il.

Having reached stardom in the 1960s and 1970s, Woo, renowned for her beauty, acted in dozens of films. She married Yoo Ho-sun, a famed film director, but she was involved in affairs outside of her marriage. In the late 1970s, she became a secret mistress of Kim Jong Il. After Woo began an affair with another man, Kim had her publicly executed in front of 6,000 people.

Early life Woo In-hee was born in Kaesong. Though her exact date of birth remains unknown, it is believed to be in the late 1930s or early 1940s. She worked during the Korean War. Already a dancer, she was later taken to Pyongyang to become an actress and was dubbed the most beautiful woman in North Korea ever since.

Career After just one year in Pyongyang, Woo In-hee was given the main part in The Tale of Chunhyang, (South Korean scholar Lee Hyang-jin does not mention the film and traces the earliest North Korean film of the traditional folk tale in 1980, but the film could well be a lost film that is only available for domestic viewing.) This was the first major appearance in Woo's career that peaked in the 1960s and 1970s. Woo was told she was free to go, but was instead taken to the Kang Kon Military Academy shooting grounds just north of Pyongyang. She was tied to a post and shot in front of 6,000 people. Twelve gunmen each fired 10 rounds from their AK-47s, mutilating her body beyond recognition. Woo's husband was forced to watch the execution. Kim nullified Woo and Yoo's marriage and forced the latter to finish Unsung Heroes.

Woo's name and image were purged from magazines and film catalogs. She was edited out of films she had performed in, rendering their plots incomprehensible. Although the 6,000 witnesses to her execution were told not to talk about what they had seen, the incident is widely known in North Korea. A South Korean TV drama, Until the Azalea Blooms, portrays her life. The show was banned in North Korea, but has nevertheless circulated in the country and people have been punished for watching it.

Filmography The Story of a Detachment Commander (1966) The Town where We Live The Girl from Diamond Mountain (1968)

Other works The Tale of Chunhyang (1959)