The government will posthumously award the Order of Cultural Merit, Geumgwan Medal, the highest honor in popular culture and arts, to the late actor Ahn Sung-ki.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Minister Chae Hwi-young plans to visit the funeral hall at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, where Ahn Sung-ki's altar has been set up, at about 6:30 p.m. on the 5th to deliver the medal.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) said, "The deceased has been recognized as a 'people's actor' who showed performances that spanned generations and spent a life together with Korean cinema," adding, "As a figure symbolizing the popular leap and industrial growth of Korean cinema in the 1990s and 2000s, he contributed to expanding the social and cultural scope of Korean cinema."
Ahn Sung-ki received the Order of Cultural Merit, Eungwan Medal, in recognition of his contributions to social service and the development of the cultural industry, including serving as a goodwill ambassador for the UNICEF Korea Committee in 2013 and as a Commissioner of the Cultural Enrichment Committee.
The government also posthumously awarded the Geumgwan Medal to Lee Soon-jae and Kim Ji-mi, who passed away at the end of last year. Among actors, Youn Yuh-jung in 2021 and Lee Jung-jae in 2022 were also added to the list of Geumgwan Medal recipients.
Ahn Sung-ki debuted with the 1957 film "Twilight Train" and appeared in as many as 180 works. Even after being diagnosed with blood cancer in 2019, he continued his passion by appearing in productions.
After his cancer recurred, Ahn Sung-ki collapsed at home on the 30th of last month with food lodged in his throat while battling the illness and was taken to a hospital. He died at about 9 a.m. that day in the presence of his family.