Actor Lee Byung-hun will become the first Korean actor to present an Academy Award, his agency BH Entertainment announced Saturday.
“Lee is very much honored to be invited to such a prestigious awarding ceremony,” the agency said, according to K-Pop Herald.
Lee made his Hollywood debut in 2009 in "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." He has since appeared in several U.S. films, including "Red 2" starring Bruce Willis and "Terminator Genisys" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
His next U.S. film, "Misconduct," is scheduled to be released in early February. Lee will star alongside Josh Duhamel, Julia Stiles, and Al Pacino in the drama, which will be "The Grudge" producer Shintaro Shimsawa's directorial debut.
In 2012, Lee was one of the first Korean actors to leave his hand and foot prints outside of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
Lee will be one of two Korean stars expected to appear on the Academy Award stage: one of this year's Best Original Song nominees, "Simple Song #3," was performed by Korean opera singer Sumi Jo.
The 88th Academy Awards is scheduled to air on Feb. 28, 2016. The awards have been the center of criticism and scrutiny due to its lack of diversity among the nominees.
