Director Ahn Pan-seok died while battling a cerebral hemorrhage, and colleagues have continued to express their condolences.
The production team of the drama "Love Doctor" told OSEN on Aug. 12, 2026, "Director Ahn Pan-seok passed away on Aug. 12, 2026, at the age of 64," in an official statement. It was reported that his health worsened while battling a cerebral hemorrhage.
It was earlier reported that the late director collapsed last month from a cerebral hemorrhage and received treatment. At the time the production company said he was "recovering," but the news of his death was reported about 10 days later, adding to the sorrow.
Colleagues mourned the sudden news. Announcer-turned-colleague Baek Ji-yeon, who joined MBC in the same year as him, immediately shared a photo of the late director Ahn Pan-seok on her social media and wrote, "I pray for the deceased's soul. Rest in peace. He was a great director and a very good friend."
Actress Kim Hye-eun also expressed her condolences, saying, "Director, who gave me the honor of working together on the piece 'Secret Affair.' I wanted not to be ashamed before you. I regret that I could not work with you on your final piece. It is such a loss that my heart breaks."
She added, "Director Ahn Pan-seok, who nurtured the scale of my heart. I will not forget your words. May you rest peacefully in heaven."
The production side of "Love Doctor," starring Choo Young-Woo and Kim So Hyun, who appeared in the late director's final work, said, "We ask for earnest cooperation so that the bereaved family, who are in deep sorrow, can have a quiet time to say goodbye to the deceased by conducting funeral procedures privately and closed to the press," and added, "Once again, we express deep condolences on the late person's passing and respectfully pray for his soul."
The late Ahn Pan-seok joined MBC in 1987 and left behind many hits including the drama 'The White Tower,' 'The Wife's Qualification,' 'Secret Affair,' 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine,' "Something in the Rain," and 'Graduation.' In particular, 'The White Tower' and 'Secret Affair' received good responses and won directing awards at the Baeksang Arts Awards in 2007 and 2014, respectively.
Through works such as 'Secret Affair,' "Something in the Rain," 'One Spring Night,' and 'Graduation,' he was called a master of melodrama for his lyrical portrayal of delicate emotions.
The funeral hall has been prepared at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) in Jongno District, Seoul, and the funeral service will be held on the 15th at 9:30 a.m. The burial site is the Seoul Metropolitan Memorial Park.
[Photo] OSEN DB.
[OSEN]