Veteran Korean actor Ahn Sung Ki has sadly passed away after battling cancer. His agency Artist Company shared the heartbreaking news via an Instagram post on January 5 morning. Hailed as one of the most respected Korean cinema icons, he was 74 years old. His acting career spanned over six decades.
The news flash inevitably sent shockwaves through the industry just days after his company reported that the actor had been admitted to the hospital and was in critical condition. Although Ahn Sung Ki was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2019, he was ultimately cured the next year. Unfortunately, the debilitating disease resurfaced during a recent follow-up medical visit, as per Soompi.
UPDATE: Actor Ahn Sung Ki’s funeral home was set up at Seoul St Mary’s Hospital on January 5, according to K-media outlet MyDaily. The last rites will be held at January 9, with Byeolgeurida, Yangpyeong as the Korean cinema icon’s final resting place.
Korean actor Ahn Sung Ki death news: Agency statement
On Monday, the Artist Company issued a formal statement on Instagram, disclosing that actor Ahn Sung Ki passed away at 9 am on January 5, 2026.
“With a profound sense of duty to his craft and unwavering sincerity, Ahn Sung Ki walked alongside the history of Korean popular culture,” read the statement’s English translation, according to Soompi. “His performances were always directed toward people and life itself, and through countless projects, he offered deep resonance and comfort across eras and generations.”
Further praising him as a quintessential “national actor,” Ahn’s agency also noted that he was a warm human being above all else. The Korean entertainment company said that the veteran star had a consistent streak of showing respect to his fellow artists on set regardless of their age. The Korean banner concluded the solemn message by extending heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Who was Ahn Sung Ki? Korean actor’s projects and more
According to Ahn’s MyDramaList profile, he debuted in 1957 as a child actor in the movie The Twilight Train. Having emerged as one of the most respected Korean actors, even on an international scale, the senior artist was born in Daegu, South Korea, in 1952.
Just this past week, K-media outlets reported that he collapsed at his home on December 30, 2025, while eating food. Once it got stuck in his throat, reports indicated that Ahn Sung Ki went into cardiac arrest and received CPR. He was ultimately taken to a local hospital’s emergency room and was later moved to the intensive care unit (ICU).
The Korean film star halted all activities following his 2019 blood cancer diagnosis. Back in 2017, the movie icon served as UNICEF goodwill ambassador. Affectionately dubbed the “Nation’s Actor” by Korean media, he even served as Vice President and President of the Korean Films Actors Association at one point.
Having won one too many accolades for his diverse filmography over the years, Ahn Sung Ki last appeared in a guest role in the 2023 Korean movie Noryang: Deadly Sea.
His other renowned projects include A Birth (Yoon Shi Yoon, Yoon Kyung Ho), Hansan: Rising Dragon (Park Hae Il, Byun Yo Han), Cassiopeia (Seo Hyun Jin), Paper Flower (Eugene, Kim Hye Sung), The Diving Fury (Park Seo Joon, Woo Do Hwan), The Hunt (Jo Jin Woong), In the Name of the Son (Yoon Yoo Sun), The Divine Move (Jung Woo Sung), Revivre (Kim Gyu Ri, Kim Ho Jung), Two Cops (Park Joong Ho) and Radio Star (Park Joong Hoon).
Given his repeated collaborations with fellow actor Park Joong Hoon at the time, especially thanks to their onscreen chemistry in the hit buddy-cop flick Two Cops, the duo was celebrated as one of the original “bromances” of Korean cinema.
Over the years, Ahn Sung Ki has won Best Actor, Grand Prize and Lifetime Achievement titles at one of Korea’s most prestigious award ceremonies honouring excellence in cinema, the Baeksang Arts Awards. On the same level, he’s also scored a few Blue Dragon Film Awards trophies, in addition to being a Grand Bell Awards, Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards and Korean Association of Film Critics Awards recipient.
Ahn had even clinched celebrated state honours at the Korean Culture and Arts Awards and Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards in the early 2000s.
As for educational achievements, Ahn pursued a Vietnamese major at Seoul’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in 1970. According to the Associated Press, he graduated with top honours but that still didn’t help him land jobs at big companies. Seven years down the line, he retraced his steps back to acting, finally finding his breakout success with a lead role in Good, Windy Days in 1980.
Surviving members of his family include his wife and their two sons.