[OSEN] The government posthumously awarded actor Ahn Sung-ki, who died on the 5th, the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest grade of the Order of Cultural Merit. 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 Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit followed the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit (third grade) in 2005 and the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit (second grade) in 2013 as his third decoration. It carried the significance of officially honoring his contributions that led the growth and leap of Korean cinema over more than 60 years.
After debuting in 1957 with the film Twilight Train, Ahn Sung-ki appeared in more than 130 works including A Fine, Windy Day, Whale Hunting, Two Cops, Silmido, May 18, and Hansan: Rising Dragon, leaving performances that bridged 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 multiple awards at major ceremonies such as the Grand Bell Awards, Blue Dragon, and Baeksang, he spent his life with Korean cinema as a "national actor." The deceased passed away at 9 a.m. on this day in the intensive care unit of Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, with his family at his side, 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.