Real actor or AI? 'Colony' child star goes viral for resemblance to Koo Kyo-hwan

Child actor Choi Woo-jin, right, playing the childhood version of Seo Young-chul, played by actor Koo Kyo-hwan in the sci-fi thriller "Colony" / Courtesy of Showbox and Choi Woo-jin's social media

Child actor Choi Woo-jin sparked online debate after viewers said his striking resemblance to Koo Kyo-hwan in "Colony" made his scenes appear to have been generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

Choi plays the younger version of Seo Young-chul, Koo's character, in the sci-fi thriller. The child actor made a strong impression despite his limited screen time. The physical similarities prompted social media users to compare the boy's scenes to Koo's old graduation photos. Some viewers said on social media, "I thought it was made with AI."

Actor Koo Kyo-hwan's childhood graduation photos / Captured from an online forum

Choi's representative clarified the rumors on the actor's official social media. "Not AI. It is 14-year-old actor Choi Woo-jin," the post said.

The viral moment coincides with a massive opening weekend for the zombie thriller. Released on Thursday, "Colony" topped the box office by drawing 1.28 million moviegoers between Friday and Sunday. The movie surpassed 1 million ticket sales on Sunday, making it the fastest film this year to reach the milestone.

"Colony" marks director Yeon Sang-ho's return to the zombie genre after six years. The plot follows survivors trapped inside a sealed building during a mysterious viral outbreak as they fight against mutants. The ensemble cast features Jun Ji-hyun, Koo, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rok and Shin Hyun-been.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.