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Late veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki to receive Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit

Published: 05 Jan. 2026, 19:15

A portrait of late actor Ahn Sung-ki sits at his memorial altar at the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital in southern Seoul on Jan. 5. [NEWS1]

The government will award the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the highest cultural honor, to late actor Ahn Sung-ki, who died on Monday, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on Monday.

Ahn previously received the third-highest Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit in 2005 and the second-highest Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit in 2013 for his contributions to Korean cinema.

“The late actor earned recognition as a ‘national actor’ for performances that resonated across generations and for a lifetime spent in Korean cinema,” the Culture Ministry said. “He also symbolized the commercial rise and industrial growth of Korean film in the 1990s and 2000s, and he helped broaden its social and cultural reach.”

The Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit ranks among the country’s highest cultural decorations, and few actors have received it, such as Youn Yuh-jung in 2021 and Lee Jung-jae in 2022. The government also awarded the honor to actors Lee Soon-jae and Kim Ji-mee after their deaths late last year.

Ahn made his debut at just five years old in Kim Ki-young’s 1957 film “Twilight Train” and went on to star in many of Korea’s most iconic films, including “Whale Hunting” (1984), “Two Cops” (1993), “The Taebaek Mountains” (1994), “Chihwaseon” (2002) and “Silmido” (2003).

Ahn collapsed at home on Dec. 30 last year after choking on food and received CPR before paramedics transported him to the emergency room at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital in central Seoul. He did not regain consciousness and died at the age of 74.

Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young was due to visit the funeral hall at the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital at 6:30 p.m. on Monday to deliver the medal.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HA NAM-HYUN [[email protected]]