I tried to open the Variety link you provided, but it returned a “402 Payment Required” error, so I couldn’t read that article directly. I’m basing the reporting below on other credible coverage and official statements published on Jan. 5, 2026.
South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki, a screen fixture for more than six decades and widely nicknamed “the Nation’s Actor,” died Monday in Seoul. He was 74. His agency, Artist Company, and officials at Soonchunhyang University Hospital confirmed the death, saying he had been treated for blood cancer. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it will posthumously award him the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the country’s highest cultural decoration.
Ahn collapsed at home on Dec. 30 after choking while eating and was taken to the hospital, where he received emergency treatment and remained in intensive care, his agency said. A wake was set for Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, with funeral proceedings scheduled for Friday morning and burial planned in Yangpyeong, south-east of the capital, according to local reports and broadcast coverage.
Born in Daegu in 1952 and raised in Seoul, Ahn began acting as a child, debuting in Kim Ki-young’s 1957 film “Twilight Train.” He later earned early international notice for a juvenile performance prize at the San Francisco International Film Festival tied to a 1959 film role. After stepping away during adolescence, he returned as an adult performer and broke through in the early 1980s, building a reputation for characters rooted in everyday Korean life and larger political history.
His credits ranged from “Mandala” and “Whale Hunting” to “Two Cops,” “Silmido” and “Radio Star,” and he continued working during illness, appearing in films released as recently as 2023. Industry tallies described him as one of the most decorated actors of his era, including a record five Grand Bell best-actor wins. President Lee Jae Myung, offering condolences on Facebook, wrote that he already missed Ahn’s “warm smile and gentle voice.” In announcing the Geumgwan honor, the culture ministry called Ahn a “national actor” whose performances spoke across generations.
