Operatic pop tenor Lim Hyung Joo has been appointed as an honorary professor at a notable arts college in Rome, Italy. It is the first time the distinction was given to a Korean, reports The Korea Herald.

Specifically, Lim will be serving as a professor at the vocal music department of Civica Scuola delle Arti di Roma, according to statement from his agency released last week.

"His educational background at the school along with his splendid music career seems to have worked (for the appointment)," said the agency on why Lim was selected.

"Recently, classical crossover music and popera are gaining traction among music lovers rather than traditional opera. Also, unlike other popera singers, Lim has systematically studied vocal music since arts middle school," echoed Stefano Palamidessi, dean of Civica Scuola delle Arti di Roma's international music department.

Lim Hyung Joo has sold more than 1.2 million records, most of them in South Korea, and also holds the distinction of being the first and youngest Korean awarded with the UN Peace Medal. Lim has held concerts around the world in some of the most prestigious venues and orchestras. He has also shown a flair for the literary, being the youngest editor of the magazine Weekly Kyunghyang, served as an interviewer for Forbes Korea, and has published essays and columns.

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Mickey is a writer and digital content creator based in Manila. He is a co-founder of ZAVI App and editor of the small business blog IndieMickey. He has also been bitten by the K-Pop fashion bug - follow him on Instagram @mickjami.