South Korean television director Ahn Pan-seok dies at 64 on August 12, 2026, after suffering a brain hemorrhage and collapsing, according to multiple reports. One outlet says he had been battling deteriorating health issues, while another details that he was undergoing treatment following the hemorrhage.
Both outlets link his death to a recent medical crisis, and both note that his last confirmed work is ENA’s upcoming drama “Love Doctor,” scheduled to premiere in October. The production team of “Love Doctor” confirms his death and expresses condolences, and both reports say funeral arrangements are private and kept away from the press. Korea Times adds that news of the hemorrhage first emerges on July 31, when he is said to be recovering and filming and editing for “Love Doctor” have already been completed.
The differing emphasis across outlets is on biographical framing versus medical timeline: one foregrounds his lung cancer diagnosis and the sequence of events around the collapse, while the other highlights his reputation for Korean melodramas and the entertainment-industry reaction, noting that his death follows earlier reports of recovery just weeks earlier.
