The 98th Academy Awards ceremony was held on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA. The ceremony emphasized various social messages, particularly highlighting women's and Black rights, gun ownership issues, and criticism of war. However, there were also some absurd scenes.

The Netflix animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters (hereafter "KPDH") won two awards, taking home Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Before the awards, Lee Jae, Audrey Nuna, and Ray AMI, vocalists of the group Huntrix who performed the OST "Golden" from KPDH, gave a stage performance. During the performance, light sticks symbolizing K-pop appeared in the audience, capturing the attention of the spectators. Famous actor Leonardo DiCaprio also waved a light stick, enjoying the atmosphere.

After the announcement of the Best Original Song award, Lee Jae shed tears, saying, "When I was young, I was teased for liking K-pop, but now I even sing Korean lyrics. I am proud." He added, "I think the meaning of this award is not success but recovery. I am grateful." However, after Lee Jae handed over the microphone, the organizers played the ending background music during composer Lee Yuhan's speech. Flustered, Lee Jae gestured for them to wait, and composer Mark Sonnenblick expressed his disappointment by jumping in place.

Broadcaster and interpreter Ahn Hyun-mo commented, "They gave a lot of time for the short film category; I wish they had let them finish their speeches." In response, pop columnist Kim Tae-hoon explained, "Since it is a live broadcast, they were probably pressed for time." Local foreign media also showed surprise at the situation. The American film outlet Deadline reported, "Even the reporters backstage were breathless," while Billboard pointed out, "The acceptance speech was cut off."

On the online community Reddit, negative reactions poured in, such as "That was really rude," "My mouth dropped when they played the music," and "Racism." These reactions led to criticism of the ceremony's proceedings.

Following KPDH's win for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, it also made a significant mark by winning the same category at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards held last January and at the Grammy Awards, the most prestigious music awards, for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Director Maggie Kang, who won Best Animated Feature, said, "I am sorry it took so long for a film featuring protagonists who look like me and people like me to come out. The next generation won't have to wait." She emphasized, "I dedicate this award to Korea and Koreans around the world."

At the 98th Academy Awards, the film One Battle After Another won six awards, including Best Picture. Additionally, the film Sinners, which received a record 16 nominations, won four awards, including Best Screenplay.