Anidu CEO Lee Jin-sik is running a business that connects animation, games, and artificial intelligence (AI) centered on children’s educational content. Starting out producing content for VHS and DVD media, he has since shifted his business toward creating original characters and stories, expanding his reach into overseas markets. In a written interview with Korea Today, CEO Lee shared his production experience to date, the planning direction behind his new work Akungdakung Exploration School, and his vision as a regional content company.
 [The Korean Today] Anidu CEO Lee Jin-sik: From VHS to AI… Taking on Content for Children Worldwide (사진 제공: 김현수) |
CEO Lee entered the video content field in 1989 after graduating from university and joining Olympia Production. At the time, he was responsible for producing works such as Atom, Tom and Jerry, and Dodgeball King Tonky on VHS and distributing them to households. He later expanded his production scope through DVDs and broadcast content into games and AI animation.
Asked about the driving force behind his long career, he said, “Seeing children laugh and sing along to the videos we made has been the greatest reward.” The process of learning new technology each time the medium changed, along with his curiosity about change itself, also kept him creating.
 [The Korean Today] Anidu CEO Lee Jin-sik: From VHS to AI… Taking on Content for Children Worldwide (사진 제공: 김현수) |
A major turning point for the business came around 2014. He moved away from the model of producing other companies’ works on VHS and DVD, and shifted toward securing content and intellectual property (IP) that he planned himself. The shift was prompted by the shrinking of his existing business as the media market moved toward digital.
CEO Lee used his long-accumulated experience in media production as the foundation for developing his own content. However, he distinguished his career related to Pororo, Cocomong, and SpongeBob from original animation production. He explained that since 2004 he has run Woojung Media, which, as an EBS partner company, handled media production by making broadcast works into DVDs and distributing them to households.
 [The Korean Today] Anidu CEO Lee Jin-sik: From VHS to AI… Taking on Content for Children Worldwide (사진 제공: 김현수) |
Anidu, founded in November 2019, was built around the goal of creating educational content IP that starts in Korea and is watched by children around the world together. The company’s name combines the English words for animation and education. The plan was not limited to producing a single video, but envisioned a content business extending into games, apps, and licensing.
According to CEO Lee, another turning point came in 2020, when the company was selected for Jeollanam-do’s program to attract outstanding technology companies and relocated its headquarters to Naju. Since establishing a base in the region, the company has expanded its business beyond animation into games and AI content.
The flagship content Akungdakung was designed for children to learn by singing and moving their bodies. CEO Lee introduced the first-generation Akungdakung action song video series, 300 episodes of which were released on Naver Juniber, and noted that it was later also used as Chinese-language learning content. In the newly produced second generation of content, the scope of exploration was expanded to dinosaurs, insects, the human body, and space.
The new work Akungdakung Exploration School is an interactive exploration quiz animation in which children solve problems together with the main characters. It is structured to present a quiz, give viewers time to think, and then check the answer together. The focus is on the process of asking questions and exploring, rather than one-way delivery of knowledge.
The full series of 52 episodes consists of 20 episodes of Dino School covering dinosaurs, 12 episodes of Bug School introducing insects, 10 episodes of Care School teaching about the human body, and 10 episodes of Space School exploring space. Each episode is a 3D animation running about 5 minutes and 40 seconds.
According to Anidu CEO Lee Jin-sik, Akungdakung Exploration School is set to premiere on SBS on November 1, 2026, at 7:40 a.m. The plan is to air the dinosaur episodes through the end of the year, followed by the insect episodes starting in January 2027. The human body and space episodes are to be released sequentially afterward.
In producing educational content, CEO Lee considers fun and accuracy to be important. He explained, “Our principle is that fun opens the door first, and learning is naturally placed inside it.” The idea is to draw interest through songs, movement, quizzes, and adventure, while also reviewing both age-appropriate expression and the accuracy of the knowledge presented.
AI technology is also being used in the production process. CEO Lee said that in producing and airing 200 episodes of the Kids Series Story Rhythm Songs, AI was used for repetitive and time-consuming processes such as animating. He emphasized that creators remain responsible for planning, story and music direction, and final direction and review, and noted that voice actor recording is also being maintained.
The review standards he presented are threefold: whether the content is safe and accurate for children, whether consistency in characters and visuals has been maintained, and whether there are any copyright issues. He stressed the use of technology to speed up production alongside human responsibility for the final result.
In overseas business, localization and ongoing partnerships are considered important. CEO Lee described experience participating in game shows in Taiwan and Thailand, a co-production with a company in Shanghai, China, and cooperation with Vietnamese broadcaster DNRT and other partners across Asia. He cited differences in language and culture by country, the time needed to build trust, and overseas marketing costs as challenges that small and medium-sized content companies must overcome.
As senior vice chairman of the Korea Character Association, he also raised the need for support extending beyond the production stage. He noted that many companies struggle with broadcasting, distribution, marketing, and overseas expansion even after completing a work. He said there is also a need to expand opportunities for regional companies, protect creators’ IP, and establish production standards and education suited to the AI era.
Anidu CEO Lee Jin-sik’s goal is to deliver content made in Naju to children around the world. He envisions growing the company into a global edutainment company that connects animation, games, and overseas IP publishing.
He offered advice to fellow creators not to fear changing technology, drawing on his own experience.
“I, too, had to learn everything from scratch each time, from VHS to AI. What doesn’t change is the story that moves the hearts of those watching.”
[ Kim Hyun-su, Reporter: incheoneast@thekoreantoday.com ]
[ 김현수 기자 ] incheoneast@thekoreantoday.com
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