[OSEN] The government posthumously awarded the Order of Cultural Merit's highest grade, the Geumgwan (Gold Crown) Order of Cultural Merit, to the late actor Ahn Sung-ki, who died on the 5th. As a measure to honor contributions to the development of culture and the arts and to the public's enjoyment of culture, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young presented the decoration on behalf of the government.
This Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit followed the 2005 Bogwan (Treasure Crown) Order of Cultural Merit (3rd class) and the 2013 Eungwan (Silver Crown) Order of Cultural Merit (2nd class), and was the third decoration. It carried the meaning of officially honoring contributions that led the growth and leap of Korean cinema over roughly 60 years.
After debuting in 1957 with the 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 Korea's first 10 million-viewer film and was regarded as an actor symbolizing popularity and industrial growth.
Having won numerous awards at major ceremonies such as the Grand Bell Awards, Blue Dragon, and Baeksang, Ahn spent his life with Korean cinema as a "national actor." The deceased died at 9 a.m. on the 5th in the intensive care unit of Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, with family by the bedside, and the funeral was held as a film-industry funeral. The mortuary was set up at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital funeral hall, and the procession was solemnly held at 6 a.m. on the 9th.