A new path to accessible fan content creation or lawsuit waiting to happen?

 
Generative AI is rapidly transforming fan content in Korea, enabling ordinary fans to turn shows, songs and celebrities into viral animations, covers and remixes, blurring the line between creative participation and copyright risk.
 
One such example was a scene from a video created by college student Park Ji-soo, who reimagined an episode of the Netflix cooking survival show “Culinary Class Wars” (2024-) season 2 in an animated style.
 
 
Fan content refers to noncommercial creative works made by fans using original materials. These include fan fiction, fan art, fan magazines known as fanzines, and cosplay.


In one such piece of fan content created by Park, a white-haired chef with his hands behind his back looks down at a challenger with a fierce glare. His opponent is “Fan Master” Kim Tae-woo, a culinary researcher who once worked under chef Hou Deok-juk.  
 
Kim strikes first, with a flurry of sharp attacks following, but Chef Hou avoids them without even lifting his hands. Then, with a single wave of energy, Hou knocks Fan Master to his knees. As Fan Master sobs with his head bowed, Hou helps him to his feet.
 
The two-minute video, uploaded on Jan. 3 to the YouTube channel Spoop, has recorded 1.05 million views as of Monday.
 
“I used AI for both the visuals and the background music,” said Park, who created the video. “I depicted the showdown between Hou and Fan Master like a martial arts movie and added heart eyes to chef Lee Ha-sung as he looks at chef Son Jong-won — elements that weren’t in the original but reflect the underlying story and emotion, expressed through animation.”
 
With generative AI programs lowering the barriers to entry, fan content is evolving both in quantity and quality. With AI, fan content is expanding into genres like video and music.
 

A scene from a music video titled “We should hear what Park Jung-min has to say too” uploaded to the YouTube channel Doldolz [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
The “Good Goodbye” (2025) stage performance by singer Hwasa and actor Park Jung-min at the Blue Dragon Film Awards in November last year,  which gained attention for its romantic undertones,  was recreated as a reply song sung by an AI-generated version of Park.
 
On Dec. 2, 2025, the YouTube channel Doldolz uploaded a music video with a title that translates to “We should hear what Park Jung-min has to say too.” The original song remains, but a male AI vocal was added and the lyrics were changed.  
 
The line “You better laugh loudly so I regret everything” became “I’ll probably regret everything, but I’ll still let you go.” The video has surpassed 1.35 million views.
 

The cover image of the trot version of singer Jay Park’s song “Mommae” (2015) [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
The channel Ppong Me The Money uploaded content that reinterprets hip-hop tracks into trot songs using AI. One such video, a trot rendition of Jay Park’s “Mommae” (2015), released early last month, has racked up more than 7 million views.
 
Following its popularity, Jay Park himself performed the trot version of “Mommae” at the Melon Music Awards and on the KBS music show “The Seasons: 10CM’s Pat-Pat” (2025).
 
“I’ve been a longtime fan of hip-hop,” said Kim, a channel called Ppong Me The Money. “I wanted to make it more accessible and fun for people who might find hip-hop intimidating.”
 
Some entertainment agencies are also encouraging AI-based fan content creation. A2O Entertainment runs “A2O Zone,” where fans and artists reinterpret and evaluate original content, and hosts AI Content Creator Camps, where creators use AI to make content.
 

Singer Jay Park sings his rendition of the trot version of “Mommae” (2015) on the KBS music show “The Seasons: 10CM’s Pat-Pat” (2025) [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
“Instead of simply consuming content, fans can grow their affection and interest in the artist by creating their own,” A2O said.
 
Experts believe the use of AI in fan content will continue to grow.
 
“Just as YouTube changed how videos are distributed, generative AI is changing how they are made,” said Yoo Jin-hee, adjunct professor at Chung-Ang University’s Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Sciences. “Fan content has become easier to create thanks to AI, and fandom creations now gain influence quickly and easily through the internet and social media.”
 
“With improvements in both quality and volume, fan content is increasingly becoming a new form of original work — just like the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ [2011-2012] series, which started as ‘Twilight’ [2005-2020] fan fiction, or the movie ‘After’ [2019], which began as a fanfic about One Direction’s Harry Styles,” she added.
 

AI creators are seen talking to each other during an AI Content Creator Camp hosted by A2O Entertainment [A20 ENTERTAINMENT]

 
Lee Soo-man, key producer at A2O Entertainment, also emphasized that fans no longer simply support artists — they help build the brand and identity of the artist by interpreting and recreating content, during a JoongAng Ilbo global media conference in September.
 
“AI will soon make it easier and faster for anyone to compose music, edit videos and plan performances,” he said, forecasting the rise of the so-called prosumer era. A “prosumer” is someone who is a “pro” at being a “consumer,” someone who can both consume and produce content.
 
Still, legal risks remain when it comes to original content rights.
 

Fan art made by content creators at an AI Content Creator Camp hosted by A2O Entertainment [A20 ENTERTAINMENT]

 
“If the original work was altered without permission, it could be a copyright violation,” said Park Geun-ik, a team manager at the Federation of Korean Music Performers. “Using a celebrity’s voice or likeness without consent could also infringe on personality or publicity rights.”
 
“If fan content generates economic value, using a celebrity’s drawing without permission may even violate the Unfair Competition Prevention Act,” Park added.
 
“Realistically, it’s impossible for ordinary individuals to obtain the original creator’s permission every time, or to stop the advancement of AI,” said Yoo. “What we need is a social consensus that respects individuals’ freedom of expression, as long as the original brand’s image isn’t damaged.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]