Director Han Suji on 'Directors Arena' 3rd place finish and plans to use AI in future projects

Director Han Suji took 3rd place on ENA's short drama survival show Directors Arena with 뱀과 사다리 (Snake and Ladder), a mystery thriller about two people trapped in a death game hunting for answers in a missing person case. She's already thinking about what comes next — and AI is central to the plan.

She spoke at a press conference July 22 at Arju Cheongdam in Seoul's Cheongdam-dong. Directors Arena ran for two months after its May premiere, with director Lee Byung-hun, actors Cha Tae-hyun and Jang Geun-suk, and MC Jang Do-yeon as judges. Director Lee Joo-seung won the top prize of 100 million won with 살인자 옆집 그녀. Director Lee Yu-jin's 길이 보이면 캐스팅해 came second.

The short-form format threw her. "I felt it was difficult to extract 50 hooks," Han said. "Even for short dramas, the effort of making a complete film goes into it."

On AI, she didn't hedge. The industry is anxious about it. Han acknowledged that. But the shift is already happening: "The atmosphere is one where AI use cannot be rejected." She wants to become a director who uses it well. Her plan is to deploy it actively in future work — specifically for scenes and worlds that would otherwise be too hard to create. She also cited AI-assisted scenes and the cast's visuals as reasons to watch Snake and Ladder.

Her filmography leans heavily on youth-focused work: 미미쿠스 (2022), 트웬티 트웬티 (2020), 에이틴2 (2019), 에이틴1 (2018), 단지 너무 지루해서 (2018), 사당보다 먼 의정부보다 가까운 (2016). Directors Arena is her first short-form drama. Doesn't sound like her last.