Korean filmmakers are using generative video to make feature films, with established directors and production companies now developing projects. The shift is being driven partly by improving video models and a reported 40 to 60 per cent cut in visual-effects costs.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
Director Kim Sung-soo showed part of Worm Train, an AI-made short inspired by Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, at the Asian Contents & Film Market in Busan on 11 October. The Korea JoongAng Daily reports that other established Korean directors are also moving into AI filmmaking, as longer clips, more reference images and better character continuity make the tools more useful in production.
Climax Studio has announced two AI feature projects, Wonso and Yogoejeon, both being considered for release next year. Other projects include Yeto, a thriller combining AI technology with live performers, and Steelay, described as a fully AI-made science-fiction feature.
The report says the industry estimates AI cuts visual-effects costs by an average of 40 to 60 per cent. That is an industry estimate, not a measured saving for each film. The Korea JoongAng Daily report also notes that the Academy Awards and Cannes restrict submissions using generative AI, while Korean filmmakers see the technology as an opportunity in a sluggish film market.
Why it matters
This is more than a fresh batch of odd-looking clips. AI video is entering established production pipelines, with projects attached to recognised directors, studios and actors. If the cost claims hold up, the tools could change which films get made and how visual effects work is organised.
But cheaper images do not settle who gets credit, how audiences are told what they are watching, or whether a film made with generative tools meets the rules of a festival. Those questions are arriving alongside the cameras, not afterwards.
Our read
The interesting change is not that AI can make a convincing scene. It is that Korean filmmakers are treating it as part of film production, rather than a novelty sitting outside the industry. That makes the projects worth watching, while the cost estimate deserves a raised eyebrow until real budgets show what it means in practice.
What to watch
- Whether Wonso and Yogoejeon reach their proposed release window next year.
- How studios describe AI’s role in production and credit the people involved.
- Whether festival rules change as more AI-assisted films reach the screen.
Discussion spark: If AI cuts visual-effects costs, should filmmakers be required to disclose how much of a film was generated, or is crediting the human creative decisions enough?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (16 October 2026, 22:00 UTC)
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