"National Actor and a Pillar of Hope for Children Worldwide"... Korean Committee for UNICEF Pays Tribute to Late Ahn Sungki

Ahn Sungki, Served as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Over 40 Years
"A Role Model for Society Through His Very Existence"

UNICEF paid tribute to the late Ahn Sungki. He had served as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF for over 40 years.

'National actor' Ahn Sungki passed away on the 5th at the age of 74. Yonhap News

The Korean Committee for UNICEF expressed its condolences on its official social media channels on January 5, stating, "Goodwill Ambassador Ahn Sungki was a 'national actor' with a warm smile to us, and a steadfast 'pillar of hope' to children all over the world." The committee added, "After more than 40 years of unwavering affection and support for children, Goodwill Ambassador Ahn Sungki has now left our side."

The Korean Committee for UNICEF also said, "Goodwill Ambassador Ahn Sungki devoted his entire life to protecting children, just as he did to his acting career," and added, "His very existence served as a role model for our society."

The committee continued, "We are deeply grateful to Goodwill Ambassador Ahn Sungki for joining the Korean Committee for UNICEF with his boundless love for children around the world, and we sincerely pray for his soul. It was an honor to have worked with him."

Ahn Sungki passed away at 9 a.m. on this day at the age of 74. The cause of death was brain death due to airway obstruction. On December 30 of last year, he collapsed at home after food blocked his airway and was transported to the emergency room at Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Seoul in a state of cardiac arrest. He remained unconscious despite treatment and ultimately passed away.

It is known that, even after being diagnosed with blood cancer in 2019, Ahn Sungki had been preparing to return to acting.

Born in 1952, Ahn Sungki made his debut as a child actor in the 1957 film "Twilight Train" at the age of five. Over the next 70 years, he appeared in more than 170 films, including "The Housemaid" (1960), "Pig Dream" (1961), "Two Cops" (1993), and "Nowhere to Hide" (1999). His final work was director Kim Hanmin's "Noryang: Deadly Sea" (2023). Ahn Sungki is the only actor to have won Best Actor awards in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.

The funeral will be held at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. The procession will take place at 6 a.m. on the 9th, and the burial site is Byeolgeurida in Yangpyeong.