ANDONG — Aims Media, an artificial intelligence startup, has expanded rapidly since winning the grand prize at last year's Gyeongbuk International AI and Metaverse Film Festival (GAMFF) with its work "Kkwaeng." The company's staff has grown from four to 22, and it is now collaborating on program production with broadcasters including KBS and EBS.
"Kkwaeng" reinterprets Gyeongju's thousand-year history in the form of a hip-hop music video, using AI to recreate cultural heritage sites such as Cheomseongdae Observatory. After winning at the festival, the work was also used as promotional content for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Gyeongju in 2025. "I founded the company with friends from a university club, and after we won the grand prize, the company's profile rose and investment followed, allowing us to expand our business," said So Hwi-su, CEO of Aims Media.
North Gyeongsang Province said on the 25th that GAMFF, launched by the province in 2024 to foster the video and content industry using advanced technologies such as AI and the metaverse, is being held for the third time this year. This year's event runs for three days starting on the 3rd of next month in Gumi, Pohang and Gyeongsan, featuring an AI video competition, screenings, corporate exhibitions and investment consulting, and gaming programs.
This year's AI video competition drew 3,403 entries from 97 countries, more than triple the 1,075 entries submitted a year earlier. Overseas entries in particular surged more than 20-fold, from 72 to 1,587.
Judges said the quality of the works had also changed. "The completeness and diversity of the AI videos submitted have improved significantly," said Yang Kyung-mi, chair of the organizing committee. "We confirmed that they are growing beyond simple technical experimentation into a new language of creation."
The province cites expanded international cooperation as one reason for the rise in overseas entries. In May, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Beijing Animation and Game Industry Association in Beijing to foster the content and gaming industries. The association, which counts more than 300 companies including Tencent and Baidu among its members, agreed to expand member participation in events organized by North Gyeongsang Province, such as GAMFF and its game festival. This year, China submitted 203 entries, the most of any foreign country.
Each of the three host cities will run programs tied to its key industries. Gumi focuses on AI and virtual convergence, Pohang on AI and video, and Gyeongsan on AI and gaming.
On the opening day, the 3rd, Gumi will host an awards ceremony for the AI video competition, with a total prize pool of 100 million won ($72,000) for the 39 finalist works. The grand prize carries 20 million won, and support will be provided to take winning works abroad.
Pohang will hold the "AI Art Tech Awards" to select outstanding films, dramas, advertisements and their production teams that use AI special effects. Winning production companies will be given the opportunity to use the Mungyeong Virtual Studio. In Gyeongsan, a "Mini Game Contest" with 90 participating companies will select eight top teams.
Programs will also be held to help companies attract investment and expand abroad. These include a technology and investment showcase for innovative AI firms, a fund investment consulting session for K-culture content producers, and an export consultation meeting for North Gyeongsang gaming companies, joined by 20 foreign buyers including China's ByteDance and Japan's Sega.
The exhibition hall for advanced AI companies will feature 34 firms, up from 23 last year, showcasing their technologies and content.
"In just three years since its launch, GAMFF is establishing itself as an AI content platform," said North Gyeongsang Governor Lee Cheol-woo. "We will expand the festival and develop it into a global platform that introduces Gyeongbuk's K-culture to the world."
