Actress Yoon Confesses Fake Academic Background
By Sa Eun-young
Staff Reporter
Amid a series of diploma forgery cases involving prominent figures in various fields, renowned stage actress Yoon Suk-hwa admitted to having lied about her academic credentials.
``I did not attend Ewha Womans University,'' Yoon wrote Tuesday on her Web site (www.yoonsukhwa.com) under the title ``A Confession.'' In her opening she said, ``It took almost 30 years for me to make this confession. It is extremely difficult and shameful for me to confess this.''
The 52-year old theater actress had claimed to have entered the university's Department of Life Art in 1974 and dropped out a year later when she joined Minjung Theater to make her debut on stage with the work, ``A Taste of Honey.''
``A thoughtless lie that started back when I was young, singing songs for commercials, has never let my conscience alone for the past 30 years,'' Yoon said. ``I constantly pondered over the moment of confession, but I hesitated for lack of courage. However, that moment has come,'' she said, asking for forgiveness.
The actress, who also directs and produces, said she could no longer bear to hide from her conscience when she heard the news of her acquaintance, Dongsoong Art Center head Kim Ock-rang. Kim, an influential figure in the cultural industry, was recently found to have forged her academic career. Kim also claimed that she had attended Ewha Womans University.
Yoon has performed in numerous plays and musicals including, ``West Side Story,'' ``Agnes of God,'' ``Guys and Dolls'' and ``The Last Empress.'' She is currently the publisher of the Music & Performing Arts Journal, ``Gaeksuk.''