Actors Jung Woosung and Lee Jeong-jae are greeting mourners at the wake of the late Ahn Sung-ki, accompanying the deceased on his final path.
On the 5th, Room 31 of the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital funeral hall in Seocho District, Seoul, was set up as the wake for the late Ahn Sung-ki. The chief mourners listed included his wife, Oh So-young, and two sons.
With condolence visits beginning at 1 p.m., footsteps of those paying tribute to the deceased continued at the wake. In particular, Jung Woosung and Lee Jeong-jae, who had shared the same agency with the deceased during his lifetime, stood beside the chief mourners at the wake greeting visitors directly. They are scheduled to handle the hearse and accompany the deceased on his final path on the 9th.
Also, actor and chairman of the Shin Young-kyun Arts and Culture Foundation Park Sang-won, who worked with Ahn Sung-ki when he was chairman, was the first to visit the wake, and the deceased's longtime close friend, singer Cho Yong-pil, expressed his condolences, saying, "When he was hospitalized last time I came. I thought he had been discharged and was okay, so it is so heartbreaking that this happened again. He must still have had so many things he wanted to do, but he was unable to overcome it and passed away."
In addition, Park Joong-hoon, director Im Kwon-taek, Shin Hyun-joon, Kim Dong-hyun, Lee Duk-hwa, director Lee Joon-ik, Jin Sun-kyu, Jung Jin-young, Kwon Sang Woo, Song Seungheon, Choi Soo-jong, Park Kyung-lim, Cho Kuk, Rebuilding Korea Party representative Cho Kuk Hyeok-sang and others from various fields visited the wake and shared in the sorrow.
Earlier, the government had announced it would posthumously award the late Ahn Sung-ki the Geumgwan Cultural Medal (1st class), the highest honor in popular culture and the arts, and Chae Hwi-young, minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, visited the wake that day to present the medal.
Minister Chae told reporters, "I cannot help but feel deep sorrow that Ahn Sung-ki, the most beautiful actor of Korean cinema, left us so early," adding, "We will remember forever our national actor Ahn Sung-ki, who always looked after others from the lowest places."
Meanwhile, the deceased passed away on that morning at 9 a.m. while receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Yongsan District, Seoul, with his family by his side. He was 74.
Originally diagnosed with blood cancer in 2019 and declared cured, the late Ahn Sung-ki continued his battle with illness after the cancer recurred six months later. Then on the 30th of last month he was found at his home in cardiac arrest with food stuck in his throat and was transferred to the emergency room; he was treated in the intensive care unit in an unconscious state but ultimately did not recover.
The deceased's funeral will be conducted as a film industry funeral hosted by the Shin Young-kyun Arts and Culture Foundation and The Korea Film Actors Association. Film industry figures including Lee Jeong-jae and Jung Woosung will participate in the hearse and accompany the deceased on his final path. The funeral procession will be at 6 a.m. on the 9th, and the burial site is Yangpyeong Byeolgeurida.
[Photo] Photo joint coverage team
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