SEOUL — The artificial intelligence revolution is reshaping South Korea’s entertainment industry. From television drama scripts to webtoons and video games, creators are increasingly turning to generative AI tools to streamline production and spark creative concepts.

This surging industry demand has driven unprecedented traffic to EduKOCCA, the premier online educational platform operated by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). Designed to train professional talent and upgrade industry skillsets, the platform has witnessed exponential growth.

According to agency data, the number of course completers jumped 67% over a three-year span, rising from 49,395 in 2022 to 82,655 last year. Momentum has only accelerated in 2026: by October, cumulative completions already reached 87,939, surpassing total figures for the previous year. Since OpenAI ignited the generative AI boom in 2022, EduKOCCA has maintained an average annual enrollment growth rate of 18.7%.

Shifting Focus Toward Practical Application

Established in 2010, EduKOCCA offers 154 regular training tracks totaling nearly 900 video lessons across broadcasting, gaming, animation, music, and the arts, alongside hundreds of free open lectures.

However, recent curriculum updates reflect a decisive shift toward hands-on AI integration. Instead of dwelling on abstract technical theories, the agency is prioritizing practical, field-ready applications. Half of the 10 new courses introduced by October 2026 focus directly on AI implementation.

Among the standout offerings is "Story Engineering with AI," launched last August. Led by veteran television writer Lee Ki-won—renowned for hit K-dramas such as White Tower and Jejungwon—the course instructs students on how to leverage AI chatbots for scriptwriting. Rather than letting algorithms take the wheel, Lee emphasizes human-led inquiry, training writers to use AI-suggested structural frameworks to refine character arcs, plot points, and dialogue.

"Humans and AI generate narratives through completely different mechanisms," Lee noted, explaining that the curriculum is designed to help creators ask sharper questions and extract optimal results through human-AI collaboration.

Empowering Solo Creators

The platform is also catering to the burgeoning market of independent digital creators. Another popular module, "Solo Studio, Surviving with AI" led by webtoon creator Choi Jin-gyu, teaches solo artists how to build customized webtoon assistant tools using natural-language programming techniques.

Building on this year's rollout of 10 fresh educational packages, KOCCA plans to launch 10 additional modules before the year concludes. Upcoming courses will explore AI-driven solo video production, game development pipelines, and essential digital copyright guidelines tailored for modern content creators.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]