While Cha Eun-woo is serving his mandatory military duty, his younger brother is making headlines of his own ― as a breakout speaker at Korea’s largest global AI conference.
At AI Summit Seoul on Nov. 10, AI researcher Lee Dong-hwi took the stage with a talk playfully titled “An AI Built for My Brother, Now Evolved Into a Brand Verification Tool,” drawing immediate buzz.
Lee showcased an in-house AI model designed to support celebrity and creator management, unveiling entertainment-focused applications like fandom data analytics and brand risk detection ― tools built to help talent and companies make smarter, safer decisions.
When the session wrapped, the scene turned unexpectedly star-studded: attendees swarmed Lee for selfies and autographs, forming lines so long that staff stepped in to manage the crowd.
Social media lit up with posts like, “The research was fascinating ― and he looks like a celeb,” and “I had no idea Cha Eun-woo’s brother was an actual AI researcher.”
It’s not Lee’s first brush with viral attention. Back in June, he was briefly spotted ― roughly a four-second walk-by ― alongside colleagues on tvN’s "You Quiz on the Block," in an episode featuring Oh Chang-gyu, a former semiconductor executive who became a 66-year-old intern. Lee is reportedly a Fudan University alum and currently works at a major advertising agency in Korea.
Meanwhile, Cha Eun-woo enlisted on July 28 and is currently serving as a private first class with the Ministry of National Defense Support Group in the Republic of Korea Army.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)