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During a National Assembly audit of the Ministry of Science and ICT on October 6, Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Jung-heon presented two Chinese-made humanoid robots—from manufacturers Unitree and Agibot—to demonstrate the scale of China's physical AI industry. The demonstration highlighted China's mass-production capabilities, contrasting them with South Korea's limited domestic output and research-focused approach. Following the presentation, Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon admitted that government investment in the sector has been 'woefully inadequate.'
At the National Assembly audit, Rep. Lee Jung-heon utilized Unitree and Agibot units to showcase the maturity of Chinese robotics. Data presented during the session indicated that Chinese companies held the top six positions in global humanoid production volume last year, with Agibot producing approximately 5,200 units and Unitree 4,200 units. In contrast, South Korea's domestic sector remains small, with only 53 of 2,814 AI companies focused on hardware, and many struggling to secure external funding.
The audit revealed a significant patent gap: China holds 60.8% of humanoid patents among five advanced nations, compared to South Korea's 4.6%. For Robot Foundation Models (RFMs), which provide the 'brain' for autonomous physical movement, China holds 66.3% of patents versus South Korea's 8.8%. Furthermore, South Korean research institutions, including the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), were found to be relying on Chinese-made robots for their own research, with no domestic alternatives currently deployed in major science museums.
Minister Bae Kyung-hoon acknowledged the disparity, noting that R&D budgets for RFMs were only established in 2024, with ₩4 billion allocated for 2025 and 2026. He stated that the government intends to prioritize the development of an ecosystem for industrial-use humanoid robots, emphasizing that future competitiveness will depend on software and data integration rather than just mechanical assembly.
Detalii sursa: finance.biggo.com ↗
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The event underscores a critical strategic concern for South Korea regarding its competitiveness in physical AI, a field essential for future manufacturing and logistics. With China dominating global production and patent filings for Robot Foundation Models (RFMs), South Korea faces a significant technological and industrial deficit. The government's acknowledgment of this gap signals a potential shift toward more aggressive state-led investment in hardware and AI-driven robotics to avoid falling behind in a key future growth engine.
Physical AI, which integrates AI models with physical hardware to enable autonomous decision-making in real-world environments, is viewed as a foundational technology for future industrial productivity. The reliance on Chinese hardware for research and the lack of domestic mass-production infrastructure pose a long-term risk to South Korea's industrial autonomy.
The admission by the Minister of Science and ICT that current investment is 'woefully inadequate' marks a rare public concession of a strategic failure in a high-tech sector. This shift in rhetoric suggests that the government is preparing to pivot from passive observation to active, state-funded industrial policy to catch up with China's established mass-production systems.
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Ce să urmărești în continuare
Observers should monitor the implementation of the government's planned 'three mega-projects' involving the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Science and ICT. Specifically, watch for whether these initiatives successfully translate into increased R&D funding for RFMs and domestic hardware production, as well as whether the government follows through on its stated goal to move beyond research-based robot acquisition toward industrial-grade, locally produced humanoid deployments.
The effectiveness of the upcoming 'three mega-projects' will be the primary metric for success. These projects are intended to bridge the gap in both hardware manufacturing and the development of proprietary Robot Foundation Models.
Future audits and budget reports will reveal if the government can successfully incentivize private investment in the 85.1% of domestic hardware firms that currently report funding difficulties. The transition from academic research to industrial-scale deployment remains the most significant hurdle for the South Korean robotics sector.