The Child Actor Resembling Son Seok-gu Was Actually a 'Deepfake'

In the Netflix series "Salinja Onangam," it was revealed that the child actor who gained attention for closely resembling the lead actor Son Seok-gu's face was actually a CG created using deepfake technology. Deepfake is a compound word of deep learning and fake, referring to video content synthesized using AI technology to combine the face or specific parts of an existing person.

Actor Son Seok-gu (left) and his child actor
[Photo by Netflix]

On the 14th, director Lee Chang-hee of "Salinja Onangam" stated in a press interview held at a cafe in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in response to the question, "There are many comments that the child actor playing Son Seok-gu's younger self has a high synchronization rate," that "the child actor's face is CG." The director explained, "The acting is done by the child actor (Kang Ji-seok), and the face was created by collecting childhood photos of Son Seok-gu and applying CG technology."

After the release of the "Salinja Onangam" series, various online communities reacted to the child actor playing the detective 'Jangnan-gam,' noting that the child actor's face remarkably resembled Son Seok-gu, with comments like "He looks like Son Seok-gu's son." An image posted by a netizen on X (formerly Twitter), placing Son Seok-gu and the child actor's faces side by side, garnered over 120,000 views, becoming a hot topic.

The director said, "We spent quite a bit of money for realism," adding, "There aren't many childhood photos of actor Son Seok-gu, so we also did image modeling. We invested a lot in this part." He explained the reason for using deepfake technology, saying, "In dramas and movies, different actors usually play the younger versions. In reality, it's a different face, but they insist it's the same. It's a cinematic license, but I dislike that."

He continued, stating that deepfake technology was used for all past scenes of the characters, explaining, "The reason why the past scenes of the characters have no dialogue is because of that. The child actors do not speak." He also added, "The past photos of the character Gyeong-a appearing in episode 5 were also realized through CG work in the same way."

Recently, various attempts to utilize deepfake technology have been ongoing in movies and dramas. In December last year, the JTBC drama "Welcome to Samdalli" featured the late Song Hae, brought back to life through deepfake technology, shouting "National Singing Contest." In the tvN STORY variety show "Chairman's People," the late Park Yoon-bae, who played the role of Eung-sam in "Jeonwon Ilgi," was restored using deepfake technology in January last year and reunited with colleagues such as Kim Soo-mi.

There are also concerns about the use of deepfake technology. There have been numerous cases of misuse, such as videos combining the faces of K-pop female idols with pornographic videos using deepfake technology. In Hollywood, last year, actors and writers went on strike, claiming that the use of AI, including deepfake, threatens their livelihoods.

Meanwhile, "Salinja Onangam" is a new Netflix series starring Choi Woo-shik and Son Seok-gu. Since its release on the 9th, it has received positive responses, ranking first in viewing time in 11 countries including South Korea, Bangladesh, India, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam within two days.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.