Actor Lee Jung-jae will receive the Minister of Foreign Affairs Award for 'Squid Game.' Lee Jung-jae will be honored with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Award for Netflix's 'Squid Game' Seasons 2 and 3 at the 7th Newsis Hallyu Expo, held on August 28 at 3 PM in the Crystal Ballroom of Lotte Hotel, Sogong-dong, Seoul. This award marks the first time the Minister of Foreign Affairs Award, previously only given to companies, is presented to a star who has illuminated K-content.

Lee Jung-jae is recognized as a key figure elevating the status of K-culture. He became a global star by sparking the 'Squid Game' phenomenon. Notably, Season 3 ranked number one in 93 countries on its first day of release, a record surpassing Season 2's first-day number one ranking in 92 countries. Season 3 set a new milestone in Netflix series history by ranking number one in every country during its first week.

Lee Jung-jae received praise for his delicate acting as the central figure of 'Squid Game.' The British film magazine Total Film highly praised his performance, calling it "one of the greatest performances in TV history." He is also demonstrating his capabilities as a content producer. Artist Company and Studio, where Lee Jung-jae is a major shareholder, have entered the planning and development stages of 'The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate Family 2.' This content targets the global market and will depict the protagonists' success, love, and desire for power on an international stage.

Together with Studio&New, Lee Jung-jae is producing tvN's 'Annoying Love' and plans to release 'Soju's Formula' and 'Good Partner 2' in the second half of the year. The Hallyu Expo was launched in 2019 to promote the sustainability of Hallyu and enhance the competitiveness of the cultural industry. It is hosted by the private news agency Newsis and supported by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Seoul Metropolitan Council, Korea Creative Content Agency, and Seoul Tourism Foundation.

The theme of this year's Hallyu Expo is "Soft Power, the Spread of Hallyu." At the 'Hallyu Conference,' writers Park Cheon-hyu and Lee Nak-jun will give lectures on "Leveling Up K-Content." Park Cheon-hyu will explain the uniqueness of the K-musical 'Maybe Happy Ending,' which swept the American Tony Awards. Lee Nak-jun will discuss the global market competitiveness of K-web novels through Netflix's 'Trauma Center.'

In addition to Lee Jung-jae, several awardees will be announced at the ceremony. IU will receive the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award for Netflix's 'The Great Seducer.' Group ATEEZ and Park Cheon-hyu will receive the Seoul Mayor's Award, while actors Lee Jun-hyuk and Lee Joo-bin will be honored with the Chairperson of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee Award. The Seoul Metropolitan Council Chairperson's Award will go to groups P1Harmony and STAYC, and the Korea Creative Content Agency President's Award will be given to group Beatpella House and Lee Nak-jun. Actor Chu Young-woo and group Kiki will receive the Seoul Tourism Foundation CEO Award, singer Hwang Garam will be awarded the Hallyu Ballad Award, and group Lissene will receive the Hallyu Special Award.

The newly established Global Netizen Award will be decided by 100% fan voting on the Stardom app starting this year. In the OST category, Group Zerobaseone's Jang Hao's "I Wanna Know" scored 1,518,857 points to take first place. The Next Icon award went to group A9, which scored 809,827 points. Trot star Lee Chan-won ranked first with 315,363 points. A9, along with Beatpella House, Hwang Garam, and Lissene, are also scheduled to perform at the event.