Overview
- ENA’s production team announced Wednesday that Ahn Pan-seok died on August 12, 2026, and asked that his funeral be kept private at the family’s request.
- Reports say he had been treated for lung cancer last year and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in July that led to hospitalization before his death.
- His final project, listed as Love Doctor (also reported as Romance Expert) and starring Choo Young-woo and Kim So-hyun, finished filming and editing and remains slated to premiere in October 2026.
- Ahn began his broadcast career at MBC in 1987 and built a nearly four-decade reputation for restrained, character-driven dramas such as Behind the White Tower, Secret Affair, Something in the Rain, and One Spring Night.
- While the production statement is the primary official source, some outlets report his age at death as 64 and others as 65, creating a minor discrepancy in coverage.