The late Kim Ja-ok Avatar press conference
Husband Oh Seung-geun “The wife I missed, I’m glad to see you once more”
Duet stage with ‘Abba Kim Ja-ok’ unveiled
“I will do activities that can influence for good”
“I’m always thinking of my family. I can’t forget the voice that called ‘Dad’ when I opened the door and came in, but it’s nice to hear that once more.”
Singer Oh Seung-geun said this at the ‘Memorial ep.2’ press conference for the late Kim Ja-ok’s avatar held at Ilji Art Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 7th.
Singer Oh Seung-geun, husband of the late Kim Ja-ok, Professor Kim Sang-gyun, PhD in cognitive science, and Galaxy Corporation CEO Yong-ho Choi attended the event. The host was Lee Ye-jae, an announcer.
Kim Ja-ok, who was greatly loved for his dignified acting skills as well as his kind and friendly personality, died in 2014 following battling cancer. In particular, Kim Ja-ok and Oh Seung-geun are well known as the representative lovebirds of the entertainment industry, and the death of the deceased made many people sad.
Oh Seung-geun expressed his deep longing for Kim Ja-ok. He said, “I missed you. There are people who said that I had a dream, but I only dreamed (Kim Ja-ok’s dream) once. “He said.
In order to express the past as much as possible, he delivered ideas regarding his usual way of speaking and clothes to CEO Choi, and completed ‘Abba Kim Ja-ok’. ‘Abba Kim Ja-ok’, which was released through the video, greeted Oh Seung-geun in a bright pink long dress and said, “Daddy, are you here?” From her warm voice to her shy smile, her girlish charm was the same as before.
Oh Seung-geun said, “I’m surprised when I see Avatar. The tone and style are the same,” said Oh.
Professor Kim Sang-gyun, who saw this, said, “There are difficult moments in life, and whenever that happens, the existence that comforts me and the existence that revives my memories are the avatars we meet today.”
Kim Ja-ok Avatar is scheduled to perform with Oh Seung-geun at TV Chosun’s ‘Ava Dream’, a metaverse AI music show next week. On this day, the duet stage of the two was released in advance. Oh Seung-geun and ‘Abba Kim Ja-ok’ sang together, and held hands in the ending.
Oh Seung-geun laughed, saying, “Avatar sings better than before.” He continued, “(Kim Ja-ok) liked to listen to songs and liked to do them. I think I still want to do it now.”
This was also the biggest reason for agreeing to the production of ‘Abba Kim Ja-ok’. Oh Seung-geun said, “While I was working and recording, I thought, ‘This is what it is.’
He chose travel as the thing he wanted to do the most with ‘Abba Kim Ja-ok’. Oh Seung-geun said, “I want to go on a trip right now or when I’m sick. We were supposed to go together, but the plan didn’t work out. If there is Abba, I definitely want to go on a trip.”
However, in the field, there were also criticisms regarding the realization of celebrity avatars that are only at the level of animation. In response, CEO Yong-ho Choi gave an interpretation that there is still a long way to go, but the possibility is open to that extent.
He said, “Of course, there are some shortcomings, but it will be improved as time goes on. First, ‘Ava Kim Ja-ok’s voice synch was achieved close to 99.9%. You might have made the face 99.99% synced, but it can still be dangerous to do that with the deceased. “I thought there was, and it was our direction to make people feel similar because there were ethical concerns.”
He continued, “Avatar has developed a lot from sight to hearing. I think the next most important thing is the sense of touch. Our idea is to make the content of teacher Oh Seung-geun holding the hand of ‘Ava Kim Ja-ok’ warm with content. When you meet a real person I want to make it feel like a tactile sensation. I am preparing by talking a lot with people with skills.”
Kim Soo-young, reporter at Hankyung.com swimming@hankyung.com
