Korea has entered a new cinematic frontier with the release of the science-fiction action movie "Steelay," which hit local theaters on Oct. 21. The movie drew strong interest before its release as it applied artificial intelligence (AI) tools across the entire production process instead of relying on the technology for just a few specific scenes. “Steelay” follows Yoon Kang, a young man who steps into a combat suit left by his father and teams up with the AI Ara to fight a virus and a rogue autonomous robot named AIRA. As AIRA begins to treat humans as threats, the film mirrors contemporary real world discussions surrounding agentic AI and autonomous decision making systems where machines act without human command. Running for 90 minutes, "Steelay" stands out as the longest Korean AI feature film to date, outpacing recent 60-minute AI movies like "I'm Popo" and "Man in Hanbok." Produced by Laon Company Plus on a modest budget of under around 1 billion won ($750,000) within a compact six-month production period, the movie demonstrates how independent imagination can materialize on scre