This article was first published by The Korea Times in a partnership with the South China Morning Post.
Chinese humanoid robot makers are accelerating efforts to gain a foothold in South Korea, moving beyond dance performances and showroom displays to factory trials and commercial deployments, as Seoul ramps up investment in physical artificial intelligence.
A growing number of Chinese robotics companies – including Hong Kong-listed UBTech Robotics, start-up Anyverse Dynamics, Shanghai-based AgiBot and leading robot maker Unitree Robotics – have flexed their muscles or announced projects in South Korea this year.
“China’s new generation of robot companies has global DNA and naturally looks overseas, and South Korea is one of the most important markets in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Ethan Qi, an associate director covering robotics at Counterpoint Research. The lack of locally built humanoid robots available at scale had created an opening for Chinese suppliers, he added.