K-League Intro Video Pouring 'Criticism', Federation "Reviews Reflection of Parts Needed to Complement"

*This content was translated by AI.

Fans are pouring out "criticism" about the K-League intro video released by the Korea Professional Football Federation ahead of the opening of the 2026 professional soccer K-League. It is pointed out that the video completion using Generative AI technology is significantly inferior, and the federation is also monitoring the opinions of fans and considering reflecting on areas that need to be supplemented in the future.

The Professional Football Federation first released the intro video of K League 1 and K League 2 through Hana Bank's K-League Opening Media Day held at the Swiss Grand Hotel in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on the 25th. The intro is a video that is used for the opening of K-League broadcasts throughout this season.

After two bidding announcements last month, the federation produced a K-League intro video for the new season. The federation emphasized the use of AI in the intro video, including "Building K League's unique and future-oriented visual identity by combining the latest Generative AI and 3D graphic technologies" in its proposal request. The project budget was 100 million won.

The 45-second K League 1 intro video released on the same day appeared with the club or the symbol of the hometown against the background of the representative attractions of the 12 teams expressed as giants. For example, in Jeonbuk Hyundai, Lee Seung-woo appears in Jeonju Hanok Village in the background, and in Daejeon Hana Citizen, Joo Min-gyu appears with Hanbit Tower.

The K League 2 intro video contained various emotions that fans wearing uniforms from each club felt while watching games through electronic devices such as TVs or actual stadiums. The image of waving the emblem flag of 17 clubs in the background of the stadium was also added quickly. Both videos included subtitles that were "produced using artificial intelligence (AI) technology."

The problem is that there is a continuous criticism that the completeness of the intro video released on this day is significantly lower. At the media day site, fans cheered and applauded immediately after the intro video was released, but criticism of the video has been pouring out on the soccer community and the official K League YouTube channel. For example, there are clubs set for watching, and the face of representative players, AI's unique awkward gestures, and the background of the stadium that does not match the home club were pointed out. Even with the disclosure of the 100 million won task budget through the bidding announcement, fans' criticism is even stronger.

A K-League fan said, "I wonder if the intro video was really a good result with a production cost of 100 million won. If it is disclosed without an inspection process, it is a serious problem in itself, and if you accepted this level even though you did the inspection, it is a bigger problem," he said. "The attitude that young people seem to think that if it is an AI-based result, they will unconditionally accept it positively feels like a typical old-fashioned old-fashioned mind that misunderstands the trend of the times. What is more important than the technology itself is completeness and persuasiveness," he pointed out in a YouTube comment.

Another fan said, "The players' faces look like an unpleasant valley, and the quality itself is just the same as the AI video flooding YouTube these days," adding, "It doesn't feel grand." He also criticized, "If you have invested in other places by reducing production costs a lot, I accept it, but if this is what you spent money on, why are you so bad at work?"

In response, an official from the Professional Football Federation said through Star News, "This video was produced as a new attempt using Generative AI," adding, "We are continuously monitoring fan opinions regarding the intro video." "We are considering reflecting areas that need to be supplemented," he explained.

"The 100 million won (budget) for the bidding announcement is not for the production of a single intro video, but for the entire scope of the task, including the production of a total of five videos, including Super Cup, K League 1, K League 2, Final Round, and Promotion Playoffs (PO), and the production of additional versions following player transfers during the season," he added. "The final round or PO video is currently in the planning stage, and the production method or detailed direction has not been confirmed."

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*This content was translated by AI.