Why it matters. South Korea is a global powerhouse in film and streaming content, so how its top film schools and VFX firms adopt AI offers an early signal of where commercial AI filmmaking is heading worldwide.
Background. Chung-Ang University is a major private university in Seoul with one of Korea's leading graduate film programs. RISE is a recent government policy to fund regional universities as innovation hubs, and BK21 is a long-running national grant scheme for graduate research — both shape how Korean universities partner with industry. 'OTT' is the common term in Korea for streaming services like Netflix.
What to watch next. Watch whether the homegrown AICRON platform and the school's AI VFX training feed into actual Korean film and drama productions, and whether other universities follow with similar industry tie-ups.
Chung-Ang University’s Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia and Film signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Morpheus Studio on June 8, 2026, launching a partnership to develop AI-based content-creation education and joint projects in Seoul. The deal aims to strengthen the graduate school’s creative training and build a pipeline of talent for South Korea’s fast-changing screen industry.
Chung-Ang University is one of South Korea’s well-known private universities, and its graduate film school is among the country’s most established programs for filmmaking and visual media. Morpheus Studio is a Korean company specializing in visual effects (VFX) that has begun integrating artificial intelligence into post-production work.
A Korean-Built AI Platform Takes Center Stage
Ahead of the signing ceremony, Morpheus Studio CEO Lee Su-young gave a special lecture to roughly 30 graduate students at the university’s Building 301. Lee, a longtime VFX professional on Korean film sets, has been pioneering what he calls “AI VFX” — applying AI tools to film and television post-production.
The lecture centered on AICRON, the company’s AI content-creation platform. According to Morpheus Studio, AICRON was designed and built by Korean film VFX specialists and supports commercially usable image and video generation, integration of multiple AI functions, and a node-based workflow. Lee walked students through how AI can be used across the full production cycle — from planning to shooting to post — and shared hands-on AI VFX workflows drawn from real film and drama sets.
Professor Choi Jung-in, who organized the lecture, emphasized that AICRON’s value lies in being a “Korean-style platform” built by experts who understand the local production environment, unlike many overseas AI tools. She said its ability to combine multiple AI tools in one place would benefit students’ training.
What the Partnership Will Cover
Under the MOU, the two organizations plan to cooperate closely across several areas:
- Jointly planning and running education programs in AI and media content
- Co-producing AI-driven broadcast and media content, plus pilot demonstration projects
- Offering field internships, capstone design projects, and industry-academic projects for students
- Co-hosting seminars, workshops, and other academic events on AI
- Jointly developing AI educational content, online courses, and teaching materials
Faculty leading the school’s research units welcomed the agreement. Park Jin-wan, who heads a government-backed BK21 research group on AI and content industries, described AI as “a core force reshaping not just process automation but creative methods and industry structure,” calling the deal a model for industry-academic cooperation. Kim Tak-hoon, director of the school’s OTT content program, stressed that the global streaming industry needs versatile talent able to quickly apply new technology on set.
A Broader Push into AI and Virtual Production
Lee Chang-jae, dean of the graduate school, said the program has steadily expanded its scope from film, drama, and new media to AI and XR (extended reality). He framed the MOU as a step toward treating AI “not as a mere tool, but as a new methodology for creation and education.”
The school has recently bolstered courses in AI filmmaking and virtual production. It is also tied to the South Korean government’s RISE initiative — a national scheme to support regional universities as innovation hubs — and runs industry-focused entertainment training through its “C.R.E.A.T.E. platform.”
