Ahn Sung-ki

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ahn Sung-ki

• Ahn Sung-ki was born and raised in Seoul in a family connected to the film industry. His father was a filmmaker and producer, which naturally introduced him to cinema at an early age.

• From an early age, Ahn formed a close bond with singer-songwriter Cho Yong-pil, as the two grew up together and studied at Kyungdong Middle School before later attending separate high schools while maintaining their friendship.

• He began acting as a child and made an early appearance in Kim Ki-young’s landmark film ‘The Housemaid’ (1960), which later became one of the most celebrated works in Korean film history.

• Ahn later stepped away from film acting to focus on his education. During this time, he stayed connected to acting by performing in the theatre while attending Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.

• In 1976, he completed South Korea’s mandatory military service as an artillery officer. He received his commission through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.

• After being discharged from the military, he returned to acting and gained major attention with his performance in ‘A Fine, Windy Day’ (1980).

• His performance as ‘Beop-un’ in the film ‘Mandala’ (1981) was appreciated by the viewers. For the role, he shaved his head.

  

• He appeared in many other films, including ‘The Blue in You’ (1992), ‘Two Cops’ (1993), ‘Nowhere to Hide’ (1999), and ‘Musa’ (2000).

  

• Ahn portrayed the President of South Korea twice, first in ‘The Romantic President’ (2002) and later in ‘Hanbando’ (2006).

  

• In 2003, he appeared in the semi-biographical war film ‘Silmido,’ which made history as the first Korean film to surpass 10 million ticket sales.

• A line spoken by his character in ‘Silmido,’ “Shoot me and go,” became widely quoted and inspired numerous parodies and pop culture references.

  

• In 2006, Ahn played the role of ‘Park Min-su’ in the film ‘Radio Star.’ His performance led to multiple award nominations and wins.

  

• That same year, he appeared as ‘Xiang Yan-zhong’ in the film ‘A Battle of Wits’ and acted alongside international stars Andy Lau and Fan Bingbing.

  

• During this period, he openly opposed the reduction of South Korea’s screen quota system, which limited the number of days domestic films could be shown in theatres.

• Ahn served as chairman of the Korean Film Actors Association from 2006 to 2008.

• While serving as a leadership committee member of the Korean Film Actors Association, he participated in two public demonstrations to protest the policy, standing alongside prominent filmmakers and actors.

• In 2011, Ahn surprised the industry by choosing to star in ‘Unbowed,’ a low-budget semi-biographical film that major distributors had avoided due to its controversial subject matter.

  

• Although ‘Unbowed’ was released with little promotion, the film gradually built momentum through word of mouth. Audiences connected strongly with its underdog “David versus Goliath” storyline, which became a hit.

• Ahn, a devout Catholic, participated in the 2014 music video ‘Koinonia’ with 29 other Catholic celebrities to mark Pope Francis’s visit to South Korea, his first visit to Asia in 19 years.

• Due to his ability to communicate in multiple foreign languages, UNICEF selected Ahn as one of its representatives, and his image has frequently appeared in in-flight advertisements on aeroplanes travelling to Korea.

• In 2019, Ahn revealed that he had been diagnosed with blood cancer.

• On 6 August 2021, Ahn Sung-ki officially signed with Artist Company.

• In December 2025, he was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after a choking incident occurred at his home.

• On 5 January 2026, Ahn Sung-ki passed away in Seoul.