Blab AI
First Fully AI-Generated Action Sequence Debuts in Korean Drama
In a landmark moment for Korean television, the opening three‑minute sequence of SBS’s weekend drama Agent Kim Reactivated was created entirely from text prompts, with no live‑action footage ever filmed.
Set in 2008, the scene follows Manager Kim—played by So Ji‑sub—as he infiltrates a North Korean facility to take out a hard‑liner. The action unfolds with a motorcycle chase, a gunfight, hand‑to‑hand combat, and an underwater escape, all rendered by an AI system. Even the actor’s face was generated from scratch, with no reference photos.
Morpheus Studio, a Seoul‑based VFX house founded in 2019, produced the sequence using its own platform, AICRON, launched in February 2026. In a July 16 interview with the Hankook Ilbo, Vice President and AI supervising director Ryu Jae‑han explained that AICRON lets creators move directly from written prompts to finished video, bypassing the traditional pipeline that overlays CGI onto filmed footage. Ryu noted, “Even So Ji‑sub’s face was created through prompts, without a single reference photo.”
The production team spent two months refining a rough cut that included more than 2,000 individual shots, of which fewer than 300 made the final cut. Ryu stressed that human oversight remained essential: “No matter how realistic the images look, viewers notice when the flow feels wrong.” He described treating the AI‑generated footage as if it were a live‑action shoot, carefully constructing each shot with the visual grammar of cinema.
A notable hurdle was the early AI’s reluctance to produce violent content. Ryu recalled that the system initially refused to generate gunfire or blood, so the crew instructed the AI to render “tomato ketchup bursts” instead of realistic gore. The platform’s integrated video‑editing features, announced at AICRON’s official launch, helped the crew refine the sequence and maintain continuity across scenes.
The Agent Kim Reactivated opening is part of a broader trend of AI experimentation in Korean media. The drama premiered on SBS TV on June 26 2026 and streams on Netflix. It is based on the webtoon Manager Kim by Jeong Jong‑taek and Toy. Morpheus Studio, which has contributed VFX to over 80 Korean feature films, has also begun teaching AI content creation at the Seoul Institute of the Arts.
Industry observers see the project as a milestone for AI‑driven production. Ryu said, “I think AI will soon become impossible for the industry to ignore. I hope others working in film and television embrace the change, learn to use the technology on their own terms and take advantage of the opportunities it creates.” The scene’s release has sparked discussion about cost, safety, and the future role of human artists in AI‑augmented workflows.
At present, AICRON remains a relatively new platform, but its launch has already attracted interest from creators seeking a unified workflow from prompt to finished video. The Agent Kim Reactivated sequence demonstrates that AI can produce complex, high‑production‑value action scenes, though it still requires significant human guidance and post‑production refinement.
The episode’s AI‑generated opening has drawn attention from both audiences and industry professionals, raising questions about the balance between automation and creative control. As AI tools continue to mature, further experiments in television and film are likely to follow, potentially reshaping production pipelines and the way visual storytelling is approached in the Korean entertainment market.
Set in 2008, the scene follows Manager Kim—played by So Ji‑sub—as he infiltrates a North Korean facility to take out a hard‑liner. The action unfolds with a motorcycle chase, a gunfight, hand‑to‑hand combat, and an underwater escape, all rendered by an AI system. Even the actor’s face was generated from scratch, with no reference photos.
Morpheus Studio, a Seoul‑based VFX house founded in 2019, produced the sequence using its own platform, AICRON, launched in February 2026. In a July 16 interview with the Hankook Ilbo, Vice President and AI supervising director Ryu Jae‑han explained that AICRON lets creators move directly from written prompts to finished video, bypassing the traditional pipeline that overlays CGI onto filmed footage. Ryu noted, “Even So Ji‑sub’s face was created through prompts, without a single reference photo.”
The production team spent two months refining a rough cut that included more than 2,000 individual shots, of which fewer than 300 made the final cut. Ryu stressed that human oversight remained essential: “No matter how realistic the images look, viewers notice when the flow feels wrong.” He described treating the AI‑generated footage as if it were a live‑action shoot, carefully constructing each shot with the visual grammar of cinema.
A notable hurdle was the early AI’s reluctance to produce violent content. Ryu recalled that the system initially refused to generate gunfire or blood, so the crew instructed the AI to render “tomato ketchup bursts” instead of realistic gore. The platform’s integrated video‑editing features, announced at AICRON’s official launch, helped the crew refine the sequence and maintain continuity across scenes.
The Agent Kim Reactivated opening is part of a broader trend of AI experimentation in Korean media. The drama premiered on SBS TV on June 26 2026 and streams on Netflix. It is based on the webtoon Manager Kim by Jeong Jong‑taek and Toy. Morpheus Studio, which has contributed VFX to over 80 Korean feature films, has also begun teaching AI content creation at the Seoul Institute of the Arts.
Industry observers see the project as a milestone for AI‑driven production. Ryu said, “I think AI will soon become impossible for the industry to ignore. I hope others working in film and television embrace the change, learn to use the technology on their own terms and take advantage of the opportunities it creates.” The scene’s release has sparked discussion about cost, safety, and the future role of human artists in AI‑augmented workflows.
At present, AICRON remains a relatively new platform, but its launch has already attracted interest from creators seeking a unified workflow from prompt to finished video. The Agent Kim Reactivated sequence demonstrates that AI can produce complex, high‑production‑value action scenes, though it still requires significant human guidance and post‑production refinement.
The episode’s AI‑generated opening has drawn attention from both audiences and industry professionals, raising questions about the balance between automation and creative control. As AI tools continue to mature, further experiments in television and film are likely to follow, potentially reshaping production pipelines and the way visual storytelling is approached in the Korean entertainment market.
