[Kim Daesik & Kim Hyeyeon's AHA] In the Age of AI, the Essence of Content Remains 'Human Stories'

(20) Jung Donghoon, CEO of Daewon Media Co., Ltd.
Even as Technology Changes the World, Emotion Creates the Story
In the Age of AI, Storytelling Remains the Language of Humanity
Korean Animation: A Stage for Experimentation, Not Limitation
Wor

Editor's NoteThe Asia Business Daily has decided to explore the changes that rapidly advancing generative artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing to the field of artistic creation, and to consider, from the perspectives of both engineers and artists, what concerns "people" should have. Accordingly, we have established a monthly feature in which Professor Kim Daesik of the Department of Electrical Engineering at KAIST and choreographer Kim Hyeyeon (CEO of Yeonist) engage in conversations or discussions with artistic creators about their works. The title of this feature, 'AHA', stands for 'AI, Human & Art'. We hope that, through Professor Kim Daesik, who is passionately exploring the future of generative AI, and choreographer Kim Hyeyeon, who is boldly integrating generative AI with dance, you will be able to take a step closer to the profound questions surrounding AI, humanity, and art.

Jung Donghoon is the CEO of Daewon Media Co., Ltd., a comprehensive content company established in 1973, and has personally witnessed and contributed to the growth of Korea's character and animation industry. Daewon Media Co., Ltd. encompasses nearly all content industries, including video, broadcasting, performances, exhibitions, publishing, comics, characters, merchandising, toys, games, webtoons, and web novels, recording annual sales of over 300 billion won, making it the largest character and content entertainment group in Korea. Currently, the company is simultaneously pursuing the creation and expansion of intellectual property (IP) through its numerous subsidiaries and affiliates, including Daewon C.I., Haksan Publishing, Daewon Broadcasting (Anibox, AniOne), and Storyjak. CEO Jung states, "Content is not an industry but a field of humanities, and human emotions, rather than technological advancement, should be at the center of the industry."

Jung Donghoon, CEO of Daewon Media, is having a discussion with Professor Kim Daesik of KAIST and choreographer Kim Hyeyeon at Daewon Media in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 14th.

360-Degree Content Business: The Power of "Entertainment Without People"

- Please introduce the business areas that Daewon Media Co., Ltd. has built over its 50-year history.

▲ Daewon Media Co., Ltd. started as an animation production company in 1973. Back then, it was simply a production-focused company making videos. However, since the early 1990s, we have expanded into various areas such as broadcasting and publishing, creating a structure that allows a single IP to be developed in multiple ways. Since I took over the company, we have also ventured into retail shops, space businesses, and our own IP development, covering distribution and brand expansion. Today, we operate an all-encompassing content business. Our goal is to have every process, from production to consumption, operate within a single universe.

What makes this business model interesting is that the industry can run on characters and stories alone, even without people directly appearing. That is why it is sometimes called "entertainment without people." However, ultimately, what Daewon Media Co., Ltd. has done for the past 50 years is to create content in which human emotions and stories are alive, even within such a structure.

It's About Emotion, Not Technology - Content Is Humanities

- You have emphasized that "content is not an industry but humanities." In an era where technological advancement is overwhelming, why do you place "humanities" at the center?

▲ In the end, content must be centered on human emotions rather than technology. Technology is merely a means of delivering stories; the core lies in the emotions, philosophy, and understanding of humanity contained within. What we pursue is not simply a profit-making industrial structure. Giving people new emotional experiences and enriching their lives-this is the essence of content and its role as a field of humanities.

As technologies like AI and the metaverse advance, I believe that human emotions become even more important. Machines can imitate, but they cannot ask themselves, "Why must this story be told?" Ultimately, content is not about technology but about the power to move people's hearts-a process of understanding and connecting the world through stories.

Jung Donghoon CEO (right) and Professor Kim Daesik

Korean Animation: Overcoming the 3% Barrier

- Despite a 50-year history, Korean animation still holds only about a 3% share of the global market. What do you see as the fundamental limitations?

▲ Looking at the global animation market, major North American companies centered around Disney account for about 40%, and Japan also holds around 40%. The Chinese market is growing rapidly as well. Other countries fiercely compete for the remaining market share. In terms of technical capabilities, Korea is at a world-class level.

However, I believe the limitations lie not in technology but in the industrial environment and perception. Korea's 2D animation market grew under poor conditions for a long time, and comics or animation were regarded as "subculture," not recognized as part of the mainstream industry. As a result, it was difficult to attract creators or investors, and building large-scale universes was challenging. Despite these limitations, Daewon Media Co., Ltd. sought cooperation with Japan and produced various works, contributing to the growth of the entire industry, including publishing, animation, and special effects. Now, based on that experience, we are taking on the challenge of expanding content that encompasses both teenagers and adults. The Korean animation industry still faces many constraints, but there are ongoing efforts to overcome these by exploring new formats, targets, and platforms. Although the pace of change is slow, I believe Korean animation is steadily experimenting and creating the content grammar for the next generation.

Daewon Media Co., Ltd. is a leading domestic animation content company that produced Korea's first TV animations such as "Wandering Magpie," "Run Hani," and "Youngshim" in 1987.

The Power of Japanese Content Comes from "World-Building"

- What cultural background enabled Japan to become an "animation empire"?

▲ After its defeat in World War II, Japan infused cultural and political agendas into its content, as seen in works like Osamu Tezuka's "Astro Boy." For the postwar generation, "stories" were not just entertainment but symbols of national reconstruction. Japan also had a cultural foundation that embraced visual storytelling. It excelled at assimilating diverse external cultures, and a social atmosphere that respected comics and animation was established early on. Thanks to this, writers, producers, and editors could immerse themselves in a single work for the long term, forming a virtuous cycle in which original works were reproduced and reinvested into animation, merchandise, and publishing.

In contrast, Korea's market is smaller and expected returns are lower, so it is common for one producer to handle multiple works simultaneously. This makes it difficult to establish deep and systematic world-building from the outset. Nevertheless, I see this not as a "limitation" but as "the beginning of change." Korea continues to attempt to create its own unique universes by combining technology and culture. Ultimately, what matters is not "an industry that follows" but "a culture that creates new grammar."

Jung Donghoon, CEO of Daewon Media, is having a discussion with Professor Kim Daesik of KAIST and choreographer Kim Hyeyeon at Daewon Media in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 14th.

The Limitation Is Not Technology, but Mindset

- You view the limitations of Korean content as stemming from "mindset" rather than "technological limitations." Why do we still tend to remain within our own stories?

▲ At the root of this is a survival-oriented mindset: "First, we must survive." Korea has historically experienced numerous invasions and division, which created a tendency to focus on "internal stories" rather than imagining "going out into the world." As a result, there has been a tendency for narratives to remain small in scale.

This stems more from limitations in thinking than from technical factors, and I believe it will be overcome through the expansion of imagination rooted in the humanities. Today's young creators already have a different way of thinking. There are increasing attempts to deal with foreign stories and unfamiliar emotions, and the emergence of global platforms and AI is further breaking down these boundaries. Ultimately, what matters is not technology, but the depth and breadth of one's perspective on the world, and the new narrative possibilities created from that perspective.

Daewon Media Co., Ltd. has been importing and distributing renowned overseas animations domestically, and is also engaged in theatrical animation projects of foreign TV animations such as "Doraemon" and "Crayon Shin-chan."

The Dilemma of the Webtoon Market: Platforms Decide Everything

- Recently, the scale of investment in the webtoon market has grown, but the focus remains on action or romance fantasy genres. How do you think this trend affects content diversity?

▲ Currently, platform competition determines everything in the webtoon market. Because exposure and profits are driven by the number of clicks, investment and marketing are concentrated on genres that guarantee consumption. In such an environment, it is difficult for new or experimental works to gain attention. Some genres that were forming during the early stages of the market were not even recognized for their diversity and lost the opportunity to be showcased at all. Creators flock to "profitable genres" for their livelihoods, and the grammar of content is limited to "safe genres" chosen by platforms.

As a result, we are left with a somewhat sad reality centered on view counts. Nevertheless, there is hope. Recently, more authors are building their own universes and expanding their stories with their fandoms. I believe that as these organic movements grow, the diversity of the content market will gradually recover.

Jung Donghoon, CEO

Lessons from K-POP: Taking the World as the Stage

- K-pop has achieved global success and created its own "universe." What should the Korean content industry learn from K-pop?

▲ The greatest strength of K-pop is that it imagined the world as its stage from the very beginning. Instead of establishing itself domestically first and then going overseas, it created music and stories with the global stage in mind from the outset. I believe that this bold perspective and confidence have created today's K-pop culture.

On the other hand, the animation industry has taken a relatively cautious path. Because the market is small and the environment is challenging, it has remained focused on "survival strategies," but I believe it is now time to move beyond that perspective. What matters more than technology or capital is the scale of our vision for the world. If we create works while imagining a global audience from the start, new languages and universes will naturally emerge within them. Looking further ahead and unfolding one's own story with confidence and composure-that is the path we should be forging going forward.

AI Is Not a Replacement Technology, but a Catalyst for Creation

- What role can AI play in the content creation ecosystem?

▲ I view AI not just as a creative tool, but as a technology that can newly design the structure of the content industry. Although there are still cautious perspectives in the field of storytelling, we are using AI not directly in our works, but to improve our company's systems and production processes. For example, AI can be of great help in IP management, production scheduling, and distribution structures.

These changes create an environment where creators can focus more on stories and imagination. AI is not a technology that replaces people, but a technology that helps people immerse themselves in what they do best. I see the possibilities of AI in this direction as positive, and I believe that at the center of these changes, "people" and "stories" will always remain.

Jung Donghoon, CEO of Daewon Media, is having a discussion with Professor Kim Daesik of KAIST and choreographer Kim Hyeyeon at Daewon Media in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 14th.

Toward a Culture Connecting People and Generations

- What role is Daewon Media Co., Ltd. playing to create an environment where young creators can freely take on challenges?

▲ A growing market attracts talent, and talent is needed for the market to grow. Someone has to break that cycle first. We are actively trying to take on that role. If there is good IP, we consider how to expand it and what combinations can be used to design new experiences. We aim to be not just a company that distributes content, but a "catalyst" that connects creators, IP, and the market. Rather than simply offering "carrots," we believe in creating a stage where creators are inspired to leap forward on their own.

- In this rapidly changing era, what kind of "future culture" does Daewon Media Co., Ltd. hope to create?

▲ I believe it is important to create a culture where children can naturally experience "the path to a better society." Ultimately, content should not merely be something to show, but a forum where different generations and ideas meet and connect through empathy and shared experiences. "Popcon D Square" was born out of such considerations. "Popcon" is a word combining "Pop" from pop culture and "Con" from content, and the "D" in "D Square" stands for drama, design, dream, digital, and various other possibilities. It is a "plaza of culture and content" where different cultures collide and mix, creating new energy-that is the vision we dream of.

Ultimately, what we want to do is to help people feel change through experience. Even as times change, I believe that at the center there will always be people, stories, and the joy of sharing together. Daewon Media Co., Ltd. aims to remain a company that connects people and generations so that this joy can continue to lead to a positive culture.

Kim Daesik, Professor of Electrical Engineering at KAIST · Kim Hyeyeon, Choreographer and CEO of Yeonist