She spent her early years in her hometown until her father, faced with the decline of the mining industry, had to relocate to Seoul in search of employment.

During a summer break, Woo participated in a play reading and production class, where she unexpectedly found herself chosen as an actress.

Despite her initial shyness and the challenges of adapting to city life as a rural girl, she developed a keen interest in acting and decided to pursue it further.

After obtaining her bachelor's degree in German Literature, Woo transferred to Dongguk University's Department of Theater and Film to further her studies in acting.

For a young rookie actress like Woo, the opportunity to be a part of such a significant production was unexpected, and it left her with unforgettable memories.

[1] Woo also participated in another project with the Seoul Theater Company, the MBC Family Musical Lulu and the Twelve Fairies – A Beautiful Winter Story (1999).

[note 2] During that time, she participated in over ten of their stage productions, which included their famous plays Lee (2001), Korean Wooturi (2002) and That Guy Looks Like a Radish (2003).

One of their notable joint projects was the play Blowing Songs Flowers in the Rain, which premiered in 2010 and received numerous encore performances due to its popularity.

This adaptation was based on the French play "On s’aimait trop pour se voir tous les jours" written by playwright Guy Alloucherie.

[18] In 2013, Woo had the opportunity to showcase her talent alongside Kim Ji-won and Jang Ji-a in the Korean adaptation of Anton Chekhov play Three Sisters.

She portrayed the title role of Olga in this production, which was directed by Moon Sam-hwa and staged at the Seoul Arts Center's Free Small Theater.

The National Theater production is loosely based on the true story of Korea's first confirmed serial murders, which took place between 1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, in which Woo played Park Gi-ja.

[24] Most notable one was Do-hoon's Mom in JTBC hit drama Sky Castle, where Woo acted as mother who flirts with Han Seo-jin (Yeom Jeong-ah) for her son education.

[25] In the same year, Woo finally landed her first supporting role in television series, as gynecologist Kim Jung-hee in drama Life.

[27] Also that year, she appeared as Dr. Livingstone, the psychiatrist, in the Seoul Art Center adaption of John Pielmeier's play Agnes of God.

[29] The play was the second collaboration between MPN Company and Ateod, which aimed to revitalize the Daehangno performance market and create a stable production environment.

[31][32] Woo Mi-wha is affectionately nicknamed "Woo-bosal" - a portmanteau of her surname and a short term for a righteous Bodhisattva - by her theater friends, due to her calm demeanor and willingness to lend an ear if her junior actors need advise.