How Agent Kim Reactivated pulled off a Korean TV first with AI

With a three-minute AI-generated sequence, the SBS new drama Agent Kim Reactivated has set a new first for Korean TV.

Agent Kim Reactivated premiered on June 26. While it starts off as a simple father-daughter story, the story quickly takes a dark turn when Kim's daughter is kidnapped, sending him on a mission to bring her home, no matter how many people he has to kill for that.

The story only gets more interesting from there, as Kim's friends are revealed to be undercover agents, his neighbor and co-worker have secrets of their own, and his past in North Korea comes to light.

In the first few episodes, a flashback is shown to the viewers about Kim going on a dangerous mission, which was created using AI. The sequence ran for about three minutes, where viewers learn about what happened on the mission and his history as a special agent. By using AI to create an entire dramatic sequence instead of just a few visual effects, the drama has created a new benchmark for Korean TV.

More on the story below.

How did the AI sequence in Agent Kim Reactivated come together?

The AI sequence in Agent Kim Reactivated was created using AICRON, an AI-powered creative tool, and it was handled by Morpheus Studio. The AI sequence was shown in the starting episodes and included vehicle crashes, building blasts, car chases, and more. The sequence even included close-up shots and action scenes with characters.

Speaking of the same, Studio S CEO Hong Sung-chang reportedly revealed that the team is planning to use artificial intelligence in the upcoming projects, as not only does it reduce the production costs, but it also helps achieve bigger things. This shows that it can be successfully used in TV production. He also assured that the viewers will get to know when the team uses AI for the scenes, showing they are transparent about the usage.

According to VFX supervisor Ryu Jae-hwan, adding AI to Agent Kim Reactivated was a part of the plan from the beginning. The studio that handled the AI production also commented on the use of AI in the Korean drama, stating it was a meaningful achievement that the entire AI sequence was created using technology developed in Korea.

Agent Kim Reactivated becomes a major success in SBS drama history

With just six episodes released as of now, the Korean drama has become a big hit in SBS's history. The drama saw a viewership rating of 22.3% after the release of Episode 6, as reported by Nielsen Korea.

Before Agent Kim Reactivated was released, The Fiery Priest took the spot of the second top-rated among SBS Friday-Saturday dramas, with The Penthouse 2 being the number one with a 29.2% viewership rating.

The drama is running on a weekly release schedule, with new episodes dropping every Friday and Saturday. It consists of a total of ten episodes, out of which six have already been released.

The cast of the Korean drama includes So Ji-sub, Choi Dae-hoon, Yoon Kyung-ho, Joo Sang-wook, and Son Na-eun.

For the viewers who don't have access to SBS, they can also stream the drama on Netflix. The basic plan at Netflix costs $8.99 a month and comes with ads. Those looking for an ad-free streaming option can choose the standard plan that costs $19.99 a month.

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