October 7, 2025

Actor Lee Jung Jae has made history as the first Korean recipient of the Chaplin Award Asia, announced on October 3 in Singapore.

Organizers honored Lee for his lasting and positive influence on Asian cinema, recognizing his body of work that continues to captivate audiences around the world.

In his acceptance speech, Lee expressed his gratitude, saying:

“It’s both nerve-wracking and deeply humbling to receive an award bearing the name of Charlie Chaplin, a legendary filmmaker, artist, and creative pioneer. I hope this recognition will allow me to make a positive impact as an Asian filmmaker.”

The Chaplin Award one of the film industry’s most prestigious lifetime achievement honors—is presented annually by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) in New York. Since the introduction of its Asia category in 2018, past recipients have included celebrated Chinese-language film figures such as Tony Leung, Zhang Yimou, and Brigitte Lin.

Following his global success with Squid Game, Lee Jung Jae is set to make his highly anticipated return to television next month with the tvN drama Nice to Not Meet You.

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Singer-actor Rowoon is set to make his big-screen debut in Japan with the upcoming film Lastman -FIRST LOVE-.

The movie is a cinematic adaptation of the hit 2023 TBS drama Lastman -Zenmei no Susakan-, which follows a visually impaired FBI investigator, Minami Hiromi (Fukuyama Masaharu), and an upright detective, Godo Shintaro (Oizumi Yo), as they work together to solve complex cases. The film is slated for release in Japan on December 24.

In the film, Rowoon plays Clyde Yoon, an FBI investigator described as a strong and charismatic counterpart to Minami. Producer Higashinaka praised the casting choice, saying, “Yoon is a powerful character who stands toe-to-toe with Minami. We believed only Rowoon, with his acting range, charm, and commanding presence, could truly bring him to life.”

Marking his first foray into the Japanese film industry, Rowoon shared his excitement:

“Working on a Japanese project was a new challenge, but I wanted to push myself by acting in a different language and cultural environment. Yoon is an ambitious and passionate character, and I hope viewers will enjoy watching his growth throughout the story.”

Rowoon’s popularity in Japan continues to rise, with past works like She Would Never Know, More Than Friends, and This Love Is Unavoidable enjoying strong local followings. His Disney+ series Takryu also climbed Japan’s Top 10 chart shortly after its release.
In addition, Rowoon recently held a successful fan meeting at Nippon Budokan in May and is set to meet fans again at two “Extraordinary Day” events at Tokyo Garden Theater on October 7.

As he prepares for his military enlistment on October 27 postponed from July anticipation is high for Rowoon’s next chapter, both on screen and beyond.

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