Lee Jae, Oscar Winner: Korean Empire Symbol, Gukbap Celebration, Authentic Korean Moments.

EJAE’s relatable “Korean Moment” is gaining attention after her Oscar win for the Netflix series “K-Pop Demon Hunters.”

Singer-songwriter EJAE shared a glimpse of her post-Oscar celebration: enjoying a comforting bowl of *gukbap* (Korean rice soup) with her Academy Award trophy.

On March 17th, EJAE posted a photo embracing Audrey Nuna and Ray Amy, who collaborated on “Golden,” the OST for “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” with the caption, “I love you all so much.”

EJAE also shared a photo of herself seemingly enjoying *gukbap*, accompanied by a heart emoji, while proudly displaying her Academy Award trophy.

“K-Pop Demon Hunters” achieved the honor of winning both Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards held on March 15th (local time). EJAE, along with “Golden’s” composers Mark Sonnenblick, Kwak Joong-gyu, Lee Yu-han, Nam Hee-dong, and Seo Jeong-hoon, took to the stage. “When I was younger, I was teased for liking K-Pop, but now everyone is singing our songs with Korean lyrics,” she said, tearing up. “I think this award is about resilience, not success. Thank you so much.”

The performance of “Golden” by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Ray Amy at the awards ceremony evoked a scene from the movie. Starting with a performance by grim reapers, followed by traditional Korean instrument performances, pansori, and a dance performance by dancers in *hanbok*, the Academy Awards venue was filled with the splendor of Korean culture.

In a backstage interview, EJAE shared, “Being on this stage as a Korean-American woman, experiencing our culture and tradition like this, is all truly amazing. I am especially proud of the traditional Korean music at the beginning of the performance. As a Korean-American who grew up in the United States, I sometimes wanted to hide my Korean identity because I was afraid of being bullied for my food or culture. But now I am so proud of my Korean identity. I was able to truly connect with our roots during rehearsals, and I am just so grateful.”

EJAE’s dress that night was a custom design created exclusively by a domestic designer brand. The bold gold ornaments attached to the front and sleeves of both arms are known to directly represent ancient Korean gold crowns.

The clothing company stated, “The dress created for this Oscar stage began with the formal court dress of the Korean Empire,” and “It is another story following her uniform shown at Huntress and an attempt to visually express the ‘shining moment’ that ‘Golden’ speaks of.” The gold embroidery adopted the hibiscus pattern applied to the formal attire of Kim Ga-jin, a Korean Empire official and independence activist in 1905, symbolizing eternity, perseverance, and undying life.