Korea's First AI Film Director Kwon Hansul: "AI Is Part of the Evolution of Video Content Technology"

"Video content is, by nature, an art form born from technological advancement. Artificial intelligence (AI) is truly an essential technology, and I believe it is inevitable that we must move forward with it to remain competitive."

Kwon Hansul, the nation's first AI film director and CEO of Studio Freewillusion, Korea's first AI video production company, emphasized the importance of AI in video technology in this way. This was during a roundtable interview held at the Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Kwon visited Gyeongju to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2025 High-Level Dialogue on the Cultural Industry, which is currently being held in Gyeongju.

Kwon Hansul, CEO of AI video production company Studio Freewillusion, is explaining the AI film industry in an interview held on the 27th at the Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
[Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]

The High-Level Dialogue on the Cultural Industry is the first official meeting where APEC, which has previously addressed economic issues such as trade, energy, and the digital economy, is discussing the cultural industry as an independent agenda. This signifies that APEC has officially recognized the value of the cultural industry. At the Gyeongju High-Level Dialogue on the Cultural Industry, the role of the cultural and creative industries as a new catalyst for APEC economic cooperation is being highlighted, and ways to achieve harmonious development through this are being explored. The impact of new technologies, such as digital and AI, on the industry is also being discussed in depth. This is the reason Kwon was invited to the APEC High-Level Dialogue on the Cultural Industry.

Kwon is leading the Korean AI film industry. In the summer of 2023, he introduced Korea’s first AI film, "One More Pumpkin." This mystery horror film tells the secret story of an elderly Korean couple who have lived for more than 200 years. With this film, Kwon gained recognition by winning both the Grand Prize and the Audience Award at the Dubai International AI Film Festival in January 2024.

Kwon explained that AI is part of the technological evolution that has driven the development of video. He said, "From silent films to talkies, from black-and-white to color, from film to digital projection, and most recently from the screen to online video services (OTT), movies and video content have always evolved in form according to technological advancement and the flow of the times."

"One More Pumpkin" was created entirely using generative AI for all video and audio elements. The production period was only five days.

Kwon briefly explained the method of producing AI films. "First, images are generated through prompting, and then those images are animated into video. When a person compiles and edits these, it becomes a complete piece of content. Compared to traditional filming or computer graphics (CG), this method drastically reduces both costs and time, which is why the industry is paying a lot of attention to it right now. AI is being spotlighted as an excellent means to enhance both the quantity and quality of content, and it is developing rapidly as a result."

Kwon Hansel, CEO of AI video production company Studio Freewillusion, is explaining the AI film industry in an interview held on the 27th at the Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
[Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]

Regarding copyright controversies over works created using AI technology, Kwon explained that "One More Pumpkin" has already been registered as Korea’s first case of edited AI film copyright. He said, "I registered the edited copyrights for both 'One More Pumpkin' and 'The Poem of Ruin,' which I made a year earlier." He added, "AI serves as a tool that implements scenes instead of a camera. Deciding which scenes to compose and how to edit and complete them is up to the person using AI." He emphasized, "The quality of content depends on how a person plans and utilizes AI."

Although "One More Pumpkin," produced two years ago, demonstrated a significant level of technology, its video quality still made it clear to viewers that it was an AI film. Kwon pointed out that "One More Pumpkin" was made two years ago and explained that AI film technology has advanced dramatically since then. He said, "Some scenes produced by current AI video models are of such high quality that it is impossible to distinguish them from live-action footage." He also shared his personal view, saying, "Given the current pace of technological development, I believe that within two years, the technology will reach a level where it will be impossible to distinguish AI-generated films from traditional ones."

He explained that the level of AI films in Korea is extremely high. "Korea hosts the most AI film festivals and related events in the world. The advantage of this generative AI-based video production method is that not only experts, but also ordinary people-regardless of age or gender-can create content using AI. This will provide more opportunities for new creators, and those in the existing legacy industry can work more efficiently by utilizing AI."