He commanded the Hongwiwi, a troop that escorted the Royal Family, greeted foreign envoys, participated in national ceremonies, fought in wars, and guarded the frontier (border area) during the Goryeo Dynasty.

Ahn Hyang is considered the founder of Neo-Confucianism in Korea, introducing Song Confucianism to the Goryeo Empire, and is generally numbered among the clan's most illustrious members.

Subsequent to Ahn Hyang, and for the rest of the Goryeo Dynasty, the Sunheung Ahn clan had members passing the State Examination for 11 generations, 20 members of the clan were made into Dukes or Grand Dukes (봉군, 封君), and it produced 17 Daejehak (대제학), which was the highest office a scholar could reach in the Royal Court, roughly equivalent to today's Ministers of Education.

However, the Sunheung Ahn clan lost its power in the mid-15th Century, due to its support of King Danjong, a young monarch who was overthrown (and later assassinated) by his uncle in the midst of political turmoil.

Their ancestral seat was called the "Land of Treason", and the clan could not regain its former power and glory and did not produce many famous figures for the rest of the Joseon Dynasty.

The most influential and respected members of the Sunheung Clan are Ahn Hyang, who is considered the founder of Neo-Confucianism in Korea, and Ahn Chang-ho, also known by his pen name Dosan (도산, 島山), a political leader during Colonial Japan and the sixth president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, whose life ended shortly after being released from prison by the Japanese Government.