K-Dubbing Tech Draws Foreign Interest

Lee Jung-jae, star of Squid Game, speaking English. A Korean analyst, speaking fluent French. Not through professional voice actors—but through AI. At CES 2025, a Korean startup’s booth showcasing AI dubbing solutions drew significant attention from international attendees. Why are foreign viewers—typically indifferent to subtitles or dubbing—so engaged?

The startup behind the demo was BEBRIDGE, which presented its AI dubbing solution at CES. The company emphasized its ability to handle nuanced, culturally adapted translations, not just literal word-for-word output.

Over half of the visitors to BEBRIDGE’s booth were from outside Korea. Before the event, some had doubted whether AI dubbing would resonate at CES, assuming cultural differences would limit interest. But the result defied expectations.

“Foreign companies showed strong interest once they saw it firsthand,” said CEO Junghyun Park. “Many of them are looking to expand into Asian markets like Korea, Japan, and China—so dubbing and localization are top priorities.”

Park added, “What really stood out was how often they asked whether our translations could go beyond machine output and adapt to the culture.”

And the interest wasn’t limited to media companies. Even general enterprises took notice.

“As marketing shifts more toward video content, companies outside the media industry are also starting to care about dubbing their marketing videos for global expansion,” Park explained.

Source: MoneyToday (https://news.mt.co.kr/mtview.php?no=2025011010204075546)