Veteran Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki has died at the age of 74.The actor passed away on January 5, 2026. The actor's death was announced by his company agency, Artist Company. The company released a statement to the press, expressing their sorrow at the actor's passing:"We feel deep sorrow at the sudden, sad news, pray for the eternal rest of the deceased and offer our heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family members."Ahn Sung-ki was suffering from blood cancer at the time of his death. He was diagnosed with blood cancer back in 2019. He passed away at the Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Seoul, South Korea. The actor was rushed to the hospital the week before, on December 29, 2025, after collapsing in his home. Reports suggest that the actor collapsed after choking while eating. At the time of his admission, he was experiencing cardiac arrest and was rushed to the ICU upon admission. The veteran had his 74th birthday in the hospital on January 1, 2026.Ahn Sung-ki's life and career: A brief overviewAhn Sung-ki was born in the city of Daegu, South Korea, in 1952. The late actor started his career as a child actor with the 1957 film Twilight Train. The film was directed by Kim Ki-Young.Subsequently, he appeared in films such as The Lullaby, Defiance of a Teenager, and The Housemaid. His last film in that early era of his career was The White Crow, released in 1967. After that, Anh-Sung-Ki went on to study at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, where he studied Vietnamese. He graduated from there in the early 1970s, before going on to complete his mandatory military service in 1976 as an artillery officer.In 1977, Ahn Sung-ki returned to the film industry, starring in the film The Soldier and the Girls. His first major role after returning to his film career was as the character of Doek-bae in the 1980 film A Fine, Windy Day. In 1981, he had a notable role in Mandala, playing the character of Beop-un.The Korea Times @koreatimescokrLINKVeteran actor Ahn Sung-ki, widely regarded as a foundational figure in Korea’s modern film history, died at age 74.Other notable films he starred in the 1980s include 1982's Village in the Mist, and Come Unto Down, 1984's Between the Knees, the 1985 film Eoudong, and 1988's Chilsu and Mansu. Chilsu and Mansu is notable for its portrayal of the aspirations of the South Korean youth while their country transitions from a military dictatorship to a civilian democracy. The late actor played the role of Mansu.In the 1990s, the late actor starred in films such as Blue in You (1992), Two Cops (1993), and The Taebaek Mountains (1994). The actor went on to star in the Japanese film Sleeping Man in 1996.While primarily working within the Korean film industry, the late actor went on to star in other international projects, including the 2006 film A Battle of Wits, which was a joint production between the People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea.Similarly, in 2015, he starred in the action film Last Knights, a joint production between the UK, the Czech Republic, and South Korea. Some of the latest films featuring the late actor include Cassiopeia and Hansan: Rising Dragon. Alongside his acting career, Ahn Sung-ki was an UNICEF representative in South Korea. He is survived by his wife, Oh So-yeong, who is a university professor and a sculptor as well as their two children.