[OSEN] The government posthumously awarded the Order of Cultural Merit's highest grade, the Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit, to the late actor Ahn Sung-ki on the 5th. As a measure to honor his contributions to the development of culture and the arts and to the public's enjoyment of culture, Minister Chae Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism presented the decoration on behalf of the government.
This Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit was his third decoration, following the 2005 Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit (3rd grade) and the 2013 Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit (2nd grade). It carries the meaning of officially honoring his role in leading the growth and leap of Korean cinema over roughly 60 years.
After debuting in the 1957 film "Twilight Train," Ahn appeared in more than 130 titles, including "A Fine, Windy Day," "Whale Hunting," "Two Cops," "Silmido," "May 18," and Hansan: Rising Dragon, leaving performances that spanned generations. In particular, through "Silmido," he opened the era of the first 10 million admissions in Korean cinema and was regarded as an actor symbolizing popularity and industrial growth.
Winning numerous awards at major ceremonies such as the Grand Bell Awards, Blue Dragon, and Baeksang, Ahn spent his life alongside Korean cinema as a "national actor." The deceased passed away at 9 a.m. on the 5th in the intensive care unit at Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, with family at the bedside, and the funeral was held as a filmmakers' funeral. The mortuary was set up at the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital funeral hall, and the burial procession took place at 6 a.m. on the 9th.