CNN on July 31 in the article headlined "Forever young, beautiful and scandal-free: The rise of South Korea's virtual influencers" said the virtual influencer sector is thriving. (Screen capture from CNN)

By Lee Jihae 

CNN of the U.S. says virtual influencers in Korea are growing more popular.

The news network on July 31 covered the trend of Korean virtual influencers in the article headlined "Forever young, beautiful and scandal-free: The rise of South Korea's virtual influencers." 

The story introduced virtual influencers Rozy, who was created by Sidus Studio X and has about 130,000 Instagram followers, and Lucy, a creation of Lotte Home Shopping with around 78,000. 

CNN said Rozy has "sponsorships from luxury brands such as Chanel and Hermes, as well as magazines and other media companies. Her ads have now appeared on television, and even in offline spaces like billboards and the sides of buses."

Rozy has even released two albums and is thus a singer as well, the article added.

"Many big companies in Korea want to use Rozy as a model," CNN quoted Sidus CEO Baik Seung-yup as saying. "This year, we expect to easily reach over two billion Korean won (about USD 1.52 million) in profit, just with Rozy."

To film a commercial with people, the report said, "weeks or months can be spent location scouting and preparing logistics such as lighting, hair and makeup, styling, catering and post-production editing."

On the other hand, CNN added, "it takes Lotte and Sidus Studio X between a few hours and a couple of days to create an image of their stars, and from two days to a few weeks for a video commercial," explaining how virtual models cost less time and money.

"The 'virtual human' industry is booming, and with it a whole new economy in which the influencers of the future are never-aging, scandal-free and digitally flawless," it said.

"Like their real-life counterparts, virtual influencers build a following through social media, where they post snapshots of their 'lives' and interact with their fans. Rozy's account shows her 'traveling' to Singapore and enjoying a glass of wine on a rooftop." 

CNN added, "Experts say virtual influencers have struck a chord with younger Koreans, digital natives who spend much of their lives online."

jihlee08@korea.kr