'With actor Ahn Sung-ki having passed away, eldest son Ahn Da-bin, on behalf of the bereaved family, offered thanks and revealed a letter his father had left during his lifetime as they saw him off on his final journey. Amid tributes from across the country, the late man's life and character are once again resonating deeply.'
On the 5th, Ahn Da-bin left a short message on his social media along with a photo of a white chrysanthemum saying, "Thank you sincerely for the warm condolences." Earlier he also shared some photos from the photo book of the film The Island I Want to Go To, drawing attention. That work starred Ahn Sung-ki, and Ahn Da-bin appeared as a child actor so it was a film in which father and son shared the screen; it appears he was recalling past times during his father's serious illness.
And on the morning of the 9th, at the funeral mass held at Myeongdong Cathedral in Jung-gu, Seoul, and at the film community's memorial service, Jung Woosung, head of the deceased's final agency Artist Company, entered carrying the portrait, and Lee Jung-jae entered carrying the medal. In the solemn atmosphere, Ahn Da-bin stood on the podium as the representative of the bereaved family.
Ahn said, "On behalf of the family, I deeply thank everyone who attended and saw us off even during the busy morning hours," and added, "I believe my father will continue the professional spirit of filmmakers even in heaven." He then took out a letter he had found while organizing his father's study. Ahn said, "While organizing the study, which I had regarded as a sacred space since childhood, I discovered a letter my father had written to me when I was five years old," and explained, "Although it was a letter given to me, it seems like words he left for all of us, so I wanted to read it."
In the letter, Ahn Sung-ki recalled the moment he first held his newborn son and wrote, "I welled up with tears seeing a face so much like his father's, a face smaller than a fist." He went on to urge, "Always be humble and honest, and become a person with a broad heart who knows how to love others." He also wrote, "Do your best in your work, be punctual, and be someone who can govern failure and sorrow with peace of mind."
In particular, he wrote, "A man must not lose ambition and courage. No matter what difficulties you face, do not lose yourself and keep challenging without end," and added, "Always be glad that you have a younger brother Philip, and be an older brother who knows how to pray for him." The final sentence of the letter brought many to tears. "My son Da-bin, never forget that what is truly indispensable and cannot be changed in this world is a 'good person.'" That sentence shows why he was a distinguished actor whose character shone.
More than 170 works, an acting career spanning 69 years. But what people remember longest is not the numbers but the attitude. A humility that always took a step back, a consideration that looked after juniors first, and a sincerity toward acting. That is why political circles across party lines and foreign media are mourning him as "an emblem of cultural and artistic figures who traversed the era."
Ahn Sung-ki, the "national actor," who practiced acting, sharing, faith and responsibility together. His words to his son, "be a good person," have now become the final legacy left to all of us.
Ahn Sung-ki passed away on the morning of the 5th at 9 a.m. in the intensive care unit of Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, while his family watched. He was 74. After a 2019 diagnosis of blood cancer he had been declared in remission but relapsed and was undergoing treatment; on the 30th of last month he collapsed at home after food entered his airway and died six days later. The burial site is Byeolgeurida in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.<
[photo] 'Joint reporting team'
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