Korean actor Lee Byung-hun wins U.S. award for Asian entertainer

South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun has won a U.S. entertainment award for Asian and Asian American contributions to film and television, the event organizer said Friday (Korean time).

Lee was included in the list of recipients of the U.S.–Asia Entertainment Summit and Game Changer Awards, along with Bela Bajaria, head of global TV at Netflix, and Destin Daniel Cretton, director of the superhero film “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” (2021).

Hosted by the nonprofit organization Asia Society, the annual event was designed to recognize the contribution of people in the entertainment industry across the Asian region.

Korean singer and actor Jung Ji-hoon, also known as Rain, was awarded the Entertainment Game Changer Award in 2019.

Lee has received critical acclaim for his performances in a wide range of genres throughout his 30-year career in works like “A Bittersweet Life” (2005), “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” (2008) and “Masquerade” (2012).

Since his Hollywood debut with “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” in 2009, he has appeared in several U.S. films, including “Terminator Genisys” (2015) and “The Magnificent Seven” (2017). He became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2016.

This year’s Game Changer Awards ceremony will be held Monday at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles.