[OSEN] The government posthumously awarded the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest grade of the 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, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young presented the decoration on behalf of the government.
This Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit was his third decoration, following the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit (3rd grade) in 2005 and the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit (2nd grade) in 2013. It carried the meaning of officially honoring his role in leading the growth and leap of Korean cinema over more than 60 years.
Ahn Sung-ki debuted with the 1957 film "Hwanghonyeolcha" and 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 spanned generations. In particular, through "Silmido," he opened the era of the first 10 million admissions in Korean film history and was regarded as an actor symbolizing popularity and industrial growth.
Having won many awards at major ceremonies such as the Grand Bell Awards, Blue Dragon, and Baeksang, he lived his life alongside 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 family at the bedside, and the funeral was held as a film industry funeral. The mourning altar was set up at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Funeral Hall, and the burial took place at 6 a.m. on the 9th.