AI-generated films are becoming more realistic, while South Korea’s protections for copyright, likeness and creators remain unclear, the Korea JoongAng Daily reports. For filmmakers, actors and audiences, the question is no longer just what AI can make, but whose work and identity it may use along the way.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
The article describes a growing gap between AI video tools and the rules governing their use. It says South Korea currently lacks a way to regulate cases involving AI-generated likenesses, and reports that videos resembling actors Yeom Hye-ran and Don Lee appeared on YouTube without permission.
Actor and director Lee Jung-hyun, speaking after judging an AI film competition on 18 October, described mixed feelings: lower production costs appealed to her as a director, but the technology also made her wonder whether she should retire as an actor. The paper says the article was originally written in Korean and translated with generative AI tools before newsroom editing.
Why it matters
The dispute reaches beyond film production. If a recognisable face or copyrighted work can be reproduced without clear permission or compensation, creators may have little practical recourse, while audiences and distributors have a harder time knowing what went into a finished work.
The article points to a live policy question: whether permission and payment should be settled before training, through licensing, or through rules governing the finished output. Those are different approaches, with different consequences for creators and AI developers.
Our read
Cheaper production is a real attraction, but it is not a substitute for clear ground rules. The most useful proposal in the reporting is a way to verify whether creative works or likenesses were used with permission. That would give audiences and buyers something more meaningful than a vague promise that a production is “AI-assisted”.
What to watch
- Whether South Korea sets clearer rules for copyright and likeness in AI-generated video.
- Whether creators gain workable ways to check how their work or identity has been used.
- Whether licensing and compensation proposals can keep pace with rapidly improving video tools.
Discussion spark: Should AI video makers need permission before using a person’s likeness or creative work, or should the rules focus on how the generated material is used and paid for?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (27 October 2026, 08:00 UTC)
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