Lee Byeong-Hyeon: 'I'd Like to be a Jewel of an Actor'

On January 27, Hallyu (Korean Wave) star Lee Byeong-hyeon won the Japan Best Jewelry Dresser Award of Special Award for Male category at the 21st Japan International Jewelry Awards, which was held at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo, Japan and received a platinum necklace as an additional prize.

The award ceremony, which is held annually to choose best jewelry wearers for their age, greatly interested the media and people. In the ceremony, Lee became the first foreigner to receive the special award and Miyuki, the wife of the Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, won the special award for the female category.

When Lee's name was announced late after the other winners such as actress Hukuda Saki and Miyuki, the audience cheered and gave him a big hand.

Lee said with his unique smile, "It is the second time that I've received jewels since I received golden rings for my first birthday. Giving golden rings to a 1-year-old baby for his first birthday is a Korean tradition". He added, "I will do my best to be a jewel of an actor".

Meanwhile, Miyuki, who won the special award for female category, said, "I will donate these jewels, which I received as the additional prize, to UNICEF. I think that sharing with people and helping needy people represents the spirit of Prime Minister Hatoyama".

In the ceremony, the rest of the award winners for their respective age groups were: Ssaki Hukuda for teens, Betki for the twenties, actor Arisa Mizuki for the thirties, actor Nene Osska for the forties, actor Gaiko Doda for the fifties, singer Marco Dakahasi for the sixties, and Ryuta Sato for the male category.