Chosun Ilbo article dated January 10, 2026 (left). Actor Ahn Sung-ki, who passed away on the 5th. [Photo = Chosun Ilbo · Artist Company]

This is a world where one cannot live with a sound mind. It has somehow transformed into a world where everyone, at some point, becomes a "red leftist" or their sympathizer, giggling and sticking together.

This leaves people like me, the stubborn ones, with no place to belong. Then, an incident occurred that caused an explosion. I made up my mind. I decided to speak harsh words, thinking, "This is truly not right."

The trigger was seeing the Chosun Ilbo's personality section on the 10th, which featured the funeral rites of actor Ahn Sung-ki as its lead story.

The Truth About a "National Actor"... An Actor Specializing in Anti-Korea Propaganda

The title itself grated on my nerves. "The Late Actor's Final Sincerity... 'What the World Needs are Good People'." Does that even make sense? "National Actor" for Ahn Sung-ki, who played communist protagonists in the leftist films "The Man from Nam-do" (1990) and "The Taebaek Mountains" (1994)? And what is this absurd statement attributed to him, "Live kindly"?

If the article is entirely true, then Ahn Sung-ki is nothing short of a two-faced individual. And the newspaper that reports this without any filtering is truly not in its right mind.

Most importantly, even though the atmosphere at the funeral, attended by many famous figures, may have appeared solemn on the surface, it means that inwardly, everything is rotten. This is proof that if this country's cultural scene is to collapse, it will collapse in a truly disgusting manner.

What makes Ahn Sung-ki unbearable isn't just those two films. He also starred as the leader of the civilian resistance in the detestable anti-Korea film "May 18" (2007), instigating against our military by saying, "Those are the true rioters and rebels."

If such a detestable person is praised as a "National Actor," what are we supposed to do? Is this a mad incitement for the people of this nation to live like armed civilians from now on?

According to the Chosun Ilbo article, actor Jung Woo-sung spoke of "the dignity of an actor and the nobility of a human being" in his eulogy for Ahn Sung-ki, praising him anew.

My stomach turns. I feel nauseous. Isn't that just another nonsensical statement claiming that living as a communist and pointing a gun at the Republic of Korea's authorities is "human nobility"?

Everyone is insane. A funeral ceremony where good and evil, the Republic of Korea and anti-Korea, dignity and righteousness are all turned upside down, and this country's self-proclaimed top newspaper fabricates it with such "style"...

Do you consider this tragic scene normal? Is it right to blindly praise popular actors without regard for their contributions when they pass away?

While everyone who knows knows that Jung Woo-sung is a "red leftist" actor, what is even more astounding is the statement made by Archbishop Jeong Sun-taek of the Archdiocese of Seoul during a memorial Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral before the funeral.

He painstakingly said, "Ahn Sung-ki, the servant, dedicated himself to film." He also made an unacceptable claim that Ahn Sung-ki "imprinted respect for humanity." Even the supposed best among the Korean Catholic Church, which has become a den of "red leftists," is ultimately birds of a feather?

My stomach churns, and I can't stand it. While it's said that Korea has been thoroughly defeated by the left in the cultural and historical wars since the 1980s, this situation is still unbearable.

He Who Remained Silent in the Left-Leaning Film Industry

If this country collapses tomorrow, it will be because the media, education, and culture have all been surrendered to them. It's also well-known that the film industry, among these, has been a haven for the left.

No matter how you look at it, good and evil, the Republic of Korea and anti-Korea cannot be so completely reversed. I was so incensed that I called Professor Jo Hee-moon, a film critic, that very day.

"Jo-hyung, what should we do about this? I can't stand it. I'm going to say some harsh words, like 'Listen up, you fools!' What do you think?"

Professor Jo Hee-moon, usually calm, listened to my one-sided, profanity-filled, and angry rant and then opened his mouth.

"I agree 100%."

It was a welcome and appreciated response. In fact, according to Professor Jo, not only "The Man from Nam-do," "The Taebaek Mountains," and "May 18" are problematic. Films like "Silmido" (2003), "White War" (1992), and "The Unjust" (2012), in which Ahn Sung-ki played leading roles, are also considered profoundly anti-social films.

In "Silmido," Ahn Sung-ki played the cruel character, Warrant Officer Choi Jae-heon, who trained 31 killing machines.

Anyone who saw the movie would have been filled with anger, thinking the entire South Korean military is garbage. In "White War," South Korea is depicted as a mad nation that participated in the Vietnam War, a conflict that was not its own. "The Unjust" also cultivates extreme anger towards the establishment.

This is unlikely to be the extent of it. Even if it wasn't politically charged, his 1993 film "Two Cops" is also deeply unpleasant.

At the time, he played the role of Jo Yoon-soo, a cunning, malicious, and corrupt police officer. I ask again. Is that role as a wicked detective and a harsh training instructor the true face of a "National Actor," and the basis for Ahn Sung-ki's nonsensical claim that "What the world needs are good people"?

Ahn Sung-ki was like that from the beginning of his acting career. His role as Min-woo in the 1984 film "Whale Hunting" was also clumsy and pathetic. Is that the portrait of our youth?

Although Ahn Sung-ki also appeared in films like "The Mandala" (1981) directed by the "low-class" film director Im Kwon-taek, and as the eldest son Young-soo in "The Dwarf Who Shot Up a Small Ball" (1981), these are also ambiguous and difficult-to-agree-with roles.

Therefore, no matter how I think about it, I cannot agree with calling Ahn Sung-ki a "National Actor."

Do not tell me that films are inherently like that, and that characters in films naturally include both good and evil people.

 My conviction as an intellectual that this country's downfall is due to leftist films remains unchanged. In this context, Ahn Sung-ki was merely an untrustworthy actor who repeatedly played the worst kinds of film characters. You could even call him another cautionary tale. Professor Jo Hee-moon told me, still agitated during our call:

"In fact, Ahn Sung-ki has never made any significant remarks about the left-leaning film industry since the late 1990s. He has consistently followed a trend-following approach, only worsening the anti-Korea tendencies of Korean cinema."

That's right. In the case of the recently deceased actress Kim Ji-mee, she courageously stated in a newspaper interview three years ago, "Most Korean films are violent and only seek to entertain. In such a structure, good actors cannot exist." Ahn Sung-ki, the half-baked actor, lacked any such critical awareness or courage.

Is Ahn Sung-ki the only problem? On that day, veteran actor Shin Young-kyun, former Busan International Film Festival Executive Director Kim Dong-ho, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hui-young, former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon, director Lee Joon-ik, and actors Sol Kyung-gu, Jung Joon-ho, and Park Sang-won, who gathered at the memorial Mass and funeral rites, looking old and stooped, were all the same. You are all accomplices in actions that ruin the country, without exception.

Current Affairs Critic

◆ Critic Jo Woo-seok

A current affairs critic. He is a representative cultural expert in Korea, with a background as a reporter for Seoul Shinmun, head of the culture department at Munhwa Ilbo, and a cultural correspondent for JoongAng Ilbo. He has served as a director for the KBS Board of Directors and the Park Chung-hee Presidential Memorial Foundation, and has received awards such as the Korea Publishing Critics Award (2008) and the Seoul Press Club Journalism Award for Columns (2010).