"National Actor" Ahn Sung-ki Passes Away... "I Will Soon Follow," Says Master Director (Comprehensive)

Park Joong-hoon: "Fortunate to have spent 40 years with a person of true character"
Im Kwon-taek, Kim Hong-shin, and the film and cultural community bid farewell to a great star
Public memorial at Seoul Film Center from January 6 to 8

Yonhap News Agency

'National actor' Ahn Sung-ki has left us. On January 5, the memorial altar set up at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital funeral hall in Seocho-gu, Seoul, was filled with grief from those who came to bid farewell to the late actor, who was the face of Korean cinema and a source of comfort for an era.

The first to arrive was Park Joong-hoon, an actor who had been friends with the deceased for 40 years. Having shared his youth with Ahn Sung-ki in films such as "Chilsu and Mansu" (1988), "Two Cops" (1993), and "Radio Star" (2006), he could not hide the tremor in his voice. He bowed his head, saying, "I will never forget the influence and love he brought to the film industry. It was my fortune to have received such a positive influence from a person of such character over 40 years." He then appealed to the public, saying, "I humbly ask you to remember Ahn Sung-ki forever," expressing his deep sorrow.

The recollection by master director Im Kwon-taek was calm yet all the more painful. Having worked with Ahn Sung-ki since his childhood acting days in "Teacher Crossbill" (1964), as well as in "Mandala" (1981), "Taebaek Mountain Range" (1994), and "Revivre" (2015), he gazed at the portrait and murmured, "I will soon follow after him, and it pains me deeply." He remembered the late actor as "a perfect actor who never made a director feel uneasy, and a good person who lived his life with sincerity."

Until his last moments, the late actor was truly a born performer. Novelist Kim Hong-shin, who visited the memorial, recalled the filming of the movie "Birth" in 2022, when Ahn Sung-ki was battling illness. He said, "Even when he had to lean on me to walk due to his frail health, whenever someone asked for a photo, he would immediately brighten up and return to his actor's face." He continued, "As a devout Catholic, even though he only appeared in three scenes as a supporting actor, he insisted on taking the role, bringing his ailing body before the camera. He was someone who lived and died as a true actor."

Yonhap News Agency

The film industry and political circles alike mourned the late actor in unison. Actors Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Deok-hwa, Jung Jin-young, and director Kang Woo-suk kept vigil at the memorial altar, while Jeon Do-yeon and Kim Sang-kyung sent floral tributes. Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, expressed his condolences, saying, "Thanks to the late actor, who lived his entire life in film from childhood, the K-content wave became possible." Bae Hyun-jin, a People Power Party lawmaker who had known Ahn Sung-ki since her days as an announcer, said, "I hope he finds greater love and rest in heaven."

A separate memorial space for members of the public who loved the late actor will be set up at the Seoul Film Center from January 6 to 8. Park Sang-won, head of external cooperation for the funeral committee, stated, "Due to the overwhelming number of inquiries, we have opened a space for citizens to pay their respects."

The funeral procession will take place at 6 a.m. on January 9. He will be laid to rest at "Byeolgeurida" in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.