[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] “When we made *The Middle World* and *The Gulf of Aden* last year, AI technology had changed beyond comparison. Starting this year, we’ll see a significant increase in the use of AI in many movies and TV dramas.”

Director Kang recently unveiled a preview of his new film, *Gulf of Aden*, at the InnoAsia WIP Showcase, part of the Asia Content & Film Market (ACFM)—the official market of the Busan International Film Festival—held recently in Busan. InnoAsia is a forum that presents new intersections between AI, new technologies, and storytelling, while exploring an industrial ecosystem where film and technology evolve together. He shared his thoughts on participating in the InnoAsia WIP Showcase with E-Daily, saying, “It was an honor to introduce ‘Gulf of Aden,’” and added, “In particular, it was an opportunity to confirm that overseas production companies have a very high level of interest in AI.”

Director Kang drew 6.88 million viewers with his 2017 film “The Outlaws” and, in 2022, created a successful Korean-style franchise by planning “The Outlaws 2,” which expanded the universe of the original film. He has worked across both film and television, directing and writing for Disney+ series such as “Fine: The Country Bumpkins” and “Casino.” In 2025, he tested the potential of AI in film production by releasing “The Middle Realm,” a fantasy chase action film that incorporates AI technology. He is now leading the way in new creative endeavors by actively utilizing AI in his upcoming film, “Gulf of Aden.”

According to Director Kang, “Gulf of Aden” deals with the 2011 incident involving the South Korean cargo ship Samho Jewelry, which was hijacked by Somali pirates. It tells the story of the kidnapped crew members and the Cheonghae Unit soldiers attempting to rescue them. Director Kang stated, “The story centers on the UDT members who risked their lives on the mission and Captain Seok, who stood up to the pirates.” The film stars actors Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-soo, and Byun Yo-han.

Director Kang plans to direct the film so that audiences can experience the maritime operation from the soldiers’ perspective. “To achieve this, we will use AI technology to render various elements, such as warships, oil tankers, and aircraft,” he explained. “Warships, oil tankers, and aircraft will appear in the film, and we plan to create all of them using AI technology,” he added.

He gained experience in fully integrating AI into commercial film production through his previous work, *The Middle Realm*. At that time, Director Kang served as producer, screenwriter, and director, testing the scope of AI technology’s application and production efficiency.

Recalling that time, Director Kang described it as “starting from scratch,” adding, “We were still in the early stages of applying AI technology to commercial feature films, and there were no references to draw upon.”

The biggest hurdle was image quality. Although he needed to composite AI-generated creatures with live-action footage, the poor quality of the AI footage—and even instances of missing frames—made it difficult to achieve a natural composite. It was also difficult to fine-tune the lighting, so the creatures did not blend well with the live-action scenes. Since the film’s setting was an in-between realm—neither the living world nor the afterlife—they addressed this by lowering the overall tone to minimize the sense of dissonance.

In contrast, Director Kang explained that technical limitations have significantly decreased as they prepare for *Gulf of Aden*. He noted, “AI technology has improved to the point where the difference feels like night and day,” adding, “Starting this year, the frequency of AI use in many movies and TV dramas will increase.”

Director Kang added, “Image quality issues have been resolved by more than 90 percent, and unless it’s a special case, there’s no problem using AI,” and stated, “We plan to use AI to handle all the high-difficulty shooting scenes.”

He also expressed hope that AI technology could serve as a tool to enhance efficiency in film production. Director Kang noted, “While the majority of producers consider the use of AI essential, they are taking a conservative approach by clinging to traditional production methods,” explaining, “This is because there are few examples demonstrating technical excellence, and the use of AI is still unfamiliar to on-set staff.” However, he predicted that as attempts to utilize AI increase, the entire production process will naturally evolve.

He emphasized, “It could also address the stagnant capital issues and create a breakthrough for the industry by enabling the production of more works than the current limited number of projects allows.”

However, he did not believe that AI could fully replace human actors. While AI could expand its role in areas where stand-ins have traditionally been used—such as scenes requiring stunts or those that do not demand specific acting—he noted that it would be difficult for AI to replicate an actor’s unique emotional expression.

Director Kang said, “No matter how closely AI mimics an actor’s performance and emotions, it’s difficult to convey those emotions to the audience,” adding, “Since actors are creators in their own right, they strive to convey different, nuanced emotions to the audience every time. The chemistry created between actors also generates a unique synergy.”

He continued, “While AI can mimic or imitate human emotions, it cannot convey authenticity,” adding, “In the future, AI will likely be used extensively on film sets to supplement individual shots.”

Director Kang believes that as the use of AI expands, issues regarding actors’ portrait rights and rights to their voice and performance data must be discussed in earnest. He pointed out, “Trading in portrait rights will begin in earnest in movies and TV dramas as well, and various problems will arise as a result.”

“Just as we transitioned from film to digital, AI is one of those inevitable, natural changes,” he said, predicting that as the technology stabilizes, the burden of implementation for the industry will decrease while efficiency will increase.