Korean, Chinese filmmakers seek common ground beyond politics through AI

Two filmmakers from Korea and China used AI-generated films to tell stories of ordinary people helping one another, seeking greater understanding beyond political tensions. Chinese grand prize winner Liu Jiakai drew on Korean students’ aid to Chinese students after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and Korean rescuers’ assistance in China. Korean winner Oh Dong-ha based his film on Chinese sailor Zhou Aibao’s help for independence activist Kim Gu. Both said they hoped the stories would encourage positive connections between people.

The Chinese Embassy in Seoul hosted the competition, inviting young people from both countries to make AI videos about cultural exchange and friendship.

One grand prize winner was selected from each country; each received 15,000 yuan, equivalent to 3.08 million won, and a round-trip airline ticket to a destination served by China Southern Airlines.

Liu said his earthquake-related story drew on a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping at Seoul National University in 2014.

Oh said he spent three days making his short-form video with AI tools including Seedance, Kling and Veo.

Published Nov 5, 2026 12:00 pm KST

Jiakai Liu, center, the Chinese grand prize winner of the China-Korea AI Video Competition, receives the award from Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing, right, during an award ceremony at a hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Embassy of China in South Korea

Despite political tensions and historical differences between their countries, two filmmakers from Korea and China believe stories of ordinary people helping one another can offer a path toward greater understanding.

The directors, who won the top prizes at the China-Korea Artificial Intelligence (AI) Video Competition, drew inspiration from little-known acts of solidarity between Koreans and Chinese, using AI-generated films to bring those stories to life.

The Chinese Embassy in Seoul hosted an AI short film competition, inviting young people from both countries to use AI to create videos highlighting stories of cultural exchange and friendship. One grand prize winner was selected from each country, with each receiving 15,000 yuan (3.08 million won) and a round-trip airline ticket to a destination served by China Southern Airlines.

Chinese grand prize winner Liu Jiakai is an experienced filmmaker who has long sought to bring people from different countries and cultures together through his work.

His inspiration for the winning film came from a story shared by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a speech at Seoul National University in 2014. The story recalled how, following the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake, students at Jeonnam Jeil High School in Korea raised donations to help students at Beichuan High School in China.

Liu also drew on the true story of Korean rescue workers traveling to China to provide life-saving assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake.

"The students’ small acts of kindness and the rescuers’ courage could be in different forms, but they stemmed from the same sentiment: the willingness to go one step further for people they have never even met," he told The Korea Times.

He highlighted the friction countries could face due to different views, noting that he believes that stories of ordinary people helping each other through difficult times matter more than political tensions.

"Friendship does not start only when they know each other well," he said.

Citing the words of Choe Chi-won (857-?), a Silla era scholar who studied and served in China's Tang Dynasty, Liu noted that the phrase, “The Way is never far from people and there should be no distinction between people based on nationality,” remains deeply relevant today.

“I hope that young people from both countries will continue to meet more often, deepen their understanding of each other’s cultures and create new stories together,” he said.

Korean grand prize winner, Oh Dong-ha, left, receives the award from Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing. Courtesy of Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Korea

The Korean grand prize winner, CEO of Mozaic Film Oh Dong-ha, shared a similar perspective.

Oh, himself a veteran AI filmmaker, said neighboring countries like Korea, China and Japan are bound to have disagreements because of their geographical proximity, but that there is no point in hating each other.

His film was inspired by the story of Zhou Aibao, a Chinese sailor who helped Korean independence activist Kim Gu (1876-1949) evade Japanese forces during his stay in China.

“I was surprised when I heard the story. I’ve always considered myself deeply interested in China and its history, yet I had never heard about it. I thought this was the perfect story to tell about the friendship between China and Korea,” Oh said.

After three days of working on the video with AI video generation tools such as Seedance, Kling and Veo, he tried to make a short-form video with a cinematic feeling to it. Although he used the story of Kim and Zhou bonding against Japan, he hopes people understand that there is nothing to gain from hating Japan or Japanese people today.

"It bothers me when historical stories become entangled with political agendas and are used as an excuse to spread hostility. I wish we could move away from all this negativity and focus more on positive connections between people," Oh said.

两位来自韩国和中国的电影人运用人工智能生成的影片，讲述了普通人互帮互助的故事，旨在超越政治紧张局势，寻求更深层次的理解。中国大奖得主刘家凯的影片取材于2008年四川地震后韩国留学生援助中国留学生以及韩国救援人员在中国的救援行动。韩国获奖者吴东河的影片则以中国水手周爱宝帮助独立运动人士金九的故事为蓝本。两位导演都表示，他们希望这些故事能够促进人与人之间积极的互动。

中国驻首尔大使馆主办了此次比赛，邀请两国青年制作关于文化交流和友谊的人工智能视频。

每个国家选出一名大奖获得者；每位获奖者获得 15,000 元人民币（约合 308 万韩元）和一张中国南方航空公司运营的往返机票。

刘说，他创作的与地震有关的故事取材于中国国家主席习近平2014年在首尔国立大学的讲话。

Oh 表示，他花了三天时间，使用 Seedance、Kling 和 Veo 等 AI 工具制作了他的短视频。

发布于2026年11月5日韩国时间下午12:00

周二，在首尔一家酒店举行的颁奖典礼上，中国驻韩国大使戴兵（右）从中国-韩国人工智能视频大赛中国区冠军刘嘉凯（中）手中接过奖杯。图片由中国驻韩国大使馆提供。

尽管韩国和中国之间存在政治紧张局势和历史差异，但两位来自韩国和中国的电影制作人认为，普通人互相帮助的故事可以为增进相互理解提供途径。

这些导演在中韩人工智能（AI）视频大赛中获得最高奖项，他们从鲜为人知的韩中团结互助事迹中汲取灵感，利用人工智能生成的电影将这些故事生动地展现出来。

中国驻首尔大使馆举办了一场人工智能短片大赛，邀请两国青年运用人工智能技术创作展现文化交流与友谊的视频。大赛每个国家评选出一名优胜者，每位优胜者将获得1.5万元人民币（约合308万韩元）奖金以及一张由中国南方航空公司运营的往返机票。

中国电影大奖得主刘家凯是一位经验丰富的电影人，他长期以来一直致力于通过自己的作品将不同国家和文化的人们联系在一起。

他的获奖影片的灵感来源于中国国家主席习近平在 2014 年于首尔国立大学发表的演讲中分享的一个故事。这个故事讲述了 2008 年四川发生毁灭性地震后，韩国全南第一高中的学生们如何筹集捐款，帮助中国北川高中的学生。

刘亦菲还借鉴了韩国救援人员在地震后前往中国提供救生援助的真实故事。

“学生们的善举和救援人员的勇气可能以不同的形式出现，但它们都源于同一种情感：愿意为素未谋面的人付出更多，”他告诉《韩国时报》。

他强调了各国可能因观点不同而面临的摩擦，并指出他认为，普通民众在困难时期互相帮助的故事比政治紧张局势更重要。

他说：“友谊并非始于彼此熟识之时。”

刘引用新罗时期学者崔致源（857-？）的话指出，“道不离人，不分国界”这句话在今天仍然具有深刻的现实意义。崔致源曾在唐朝学习和任职。

“我希望两国青年能够继续多多交流，加深对彼此文化的了解，共同创造新的故事，”他说。

韩国大奖得主吴东河（左）从中国驻韩国大使戴兵手中接过奖项。图片由中华人民共和国驻韩国大使馆提供。

韩国大奖得主、Mozaic Film 首席执行官吴东河也表达了类似的观点。

资深人工智能电影制作人吴先生表示，韩国、中国和日本等邻国由于地理位置接近，难免会有分歧，但互相仇恨毫无意义。

他的电影灵感来源于周爱宝的故事。周爱宝是一名中国水手，他曾帮助韩国独立运动人士金九（1876-1949）在中国期间躲避日本军队。

“听到这个故事我很惊讶。我一直认为自己对中国及其历史非常感兴趣，但却从未听说过这件事。我认为这是讲述中韩友谊的绝佳故事，”吴先生说。

经过三天使用Seedance、Kling和Veo等人工智能视频生成工具制作视频后，他试图制作一部具有电影质感的短片。虽然他讲述了金和周共同对抗日本的故事，但他希望人们明白，在今天，仇恨日本或日本人没有任何好处。

“我最反感的就是历史故事与政治议程纠缠在一起，并被用作散播敌意的借口。我希望我们能够摆脱所有这些负面情绪，更多地关注人与人之间的积极联系，”吴女士说道。