Korean Film Industry Giant Ahn Sung-ki Passes Away, Ending 69-Year Acting Journey

Actor Ahn Sung-ki, regarded as a living legend of Korean cinema, passed away at around 9 AM on the 5th at the intensive care unit of Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Yongsan, Seoul, at the age of 74. The funeral committee for Ahn Sung-ki officially announced that he quietly closed his eyes surrounded by his family.

He collapsed at home on the 30th of last month due to an incident where food blocked his airway and was hospitalized in a coma in the intensive care unit, ultimately bidding farewell to the world after a six-day battle. He had been fighting blood cancer since 2019 and was reportedly preparing for a return to the screen until recently.

He received a complete recovery diagnosis in 2020, but after a recurrence was confirmed, he continued his battle with the disease. He publicly revealed his battle with blood cancer for the first time in a media interview in 2022, and in 2023, he expressed his determination to return with a new project, stating that his health had significantly improved in an interview with Yonhap News.

Ahn Sung-ki has been respected as a representative actor of Korea for his outstanding acting skills and exemplary conduct. He made his film debut as a child actor in the film 〈Twilight Train〉 (1957) directed by Kim Ki-young, thanks to his connection with his father, producer Ahn Hwa-young.

In 1959, he received a special award at the San Francisco International Film Festival for Kim Ki-young's 〈Teenage Rebellion〉, early on recognizing his talent. He appeared in over 70 works for a decade until he paused his acting career to focus on his studies after entering Dongseong High School.

After graduating from the Vietnamese Department of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and completing military service through ROTC, he sought overseas employment utilizing his major, but was unable to achieve his goal due to the aftermath of the Vietnam War. This became the turning point for his return to the film industry.

His first work upon returning as an adult actor after ten years was Kim Ki-young's 〈Soldiers and Ladies〉 (1977). He then entered the mainstream as an actor with Lee Jang-ho's 〈A Good Day with the Wind〉 (1980).

In the 1980s, he gained attention with significant works such as 〈Mandala〉 (1981, directed by Im Kwon-taek), 〈People of the Neighborhood〉 (1982, directed by Bae Chang-ho), 〈Whale Hunting〉 (1984, directed by Bae Chang-ho), and 〈Chilsu and Mansu〉 (1988, directed by Park Kwang-soo).

Entering the 1990s, during a time when Korean cinema underwent a major transformation with industrial capital, he enjoyed his peak period. Starting with 〈Southern Army〉 (1990, directed by Jeong Ji-young), he received enthusiastic love from audiences for every work he appeared in, including 〈White War〉 (1992), 〈Two Cops〉 (1993), 〈You Inside Me〉 (1992, directed by Lee Hyun-seung), 〈Taebaek Mountains〉 (1994), 〈Exorcist's Notebook〉 (1998, directed by Park Kwang-chun), and 〈No Mercy for the Rude〉 (1999).

In the 2000s, he continued to be active, playing the role of the elder statesman of the film industry. He won his first Best Supporting Actor Award for 〈Warrior〉 (2001) and appeared in critically acclaimed films such as the first Korean film to attract ten million viewers, 〈Silmi-do〉 (2003), and 〈Radio Star〉 (2006).

Since the 2010s, he showcased his true value as a veteran actor with works such as 〈Broken Arrow〉 (2012, directed by Jeong Ji-young) and 〈Makeup〉 (2015, directed by Im Kwon-taek). The last work he appeared in was 〈Noryang: Sea of Death〉 (2023), directed by Kim Han-min, where he played the role of Eo Yong-dam, who assisted General Yi Sun-sin during the Imjin War.

From his childhood to the present, he has appeared in over 170 works over 69 years, leading the Korean film industry. In 2017, to celebrate his 60th anniversary of debut, a special exhibition was held in the film industry to honor his contributions.

He received numerous honors throughout his long acting career. Since winning the Best New Actor Award at the Daejong Film Awards in 1980 for 〈A Good Day with the Wind〉, he has won over 40 awards for Best Actor and acting awards at various domestic film festivals. He is the only actor to have won Best Actor awards across all decades from the 1980s to the 2010s.

He won the Best Actor award at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival twice for 〈Joyful Our Young Days〉 (1987) and 〈White War〉, and received the Silver Crown Cultural Medal, the highest honor in the field of popular culture and arts, in 2013. In 2024, he was honored to be elected as a member of the Korea Academy of Arts.

He served as the chairman of the Korean Actors Association and co-chairman of the Screen Quota Emergency Response Committee, leading efforts to protect the rights of the film industry, and also fulfilled his social responsibilities as a goodwill ambassador for the Korean Committee for UNICEF and chairman of the Shin Young-kyun Art and Culture Foundation.

With a friendly and gentle image, he also served as the longest-running model for Dongseo Food's Maxim coffee for 38 years since 1983, becoming a familiar presence to the public.

The deceased's mortuary has been set up in Room 31 of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Oh So-young, and sons, Da-bin and Philip. The funeral will be held as a film industry funeral organized by the Shin Young-kyun Art and Culture Foundation and the Korean Actors Association.

A funeral committee has been formed with veteran actor Shin Young-kyun as the honorary chairman, and Lee Gap-seong, chairman of the Korean Actors Association, director Bae Chang-ho, Shin Eon-sik, acting head of the Shin Young-kyun Art and Culture Foundation, and Yang Yoon-ho, chairman of the Korean Film Association, serving as committee chairs to escort the national actor on his final journey. The funeral will take place at 6 AM on the 9th, and the burial site is Yangpyeong Byeolgrida.