Industry Findings: Policy amplification in South Korea steers robotics procurement toward domestically engineered subsystems and service-robot scaling, shifting buyer priorities from singular capabilities to validated technology stacks and local supply continuity. Our assessment shows that manufacturers and service operators now weigh interoperability and parts sovereignty as critical procurement filters. A decisive structural indicator arrived when the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy unveiled the Fourth Intelligent Robot Basic Plan in Jan-2024, committing concentrated public–private investment and talent programmes to build a K-Robot economy. That plan accelerates R&D translation into production-ready robots and raises the premium on vendors that can demonstrate rapid localisation and certified interoperability across industrial and service deployments.
Industry Player Insights: South Korea market transformation is influenced by Hyundai Robotics, Doosan Robotics, Hanwha Robotics, and Yujin Robot etc. Vendor activity in 2024 emphasised wearable robotics, cobots, and heavy-duty AMRs tied to domestic pilot programmes. Hyundai and its robotics lab confirmed X-ble wearable-robot progress in Nov-2024, advancing ergonomics for industrial augmentation and rehabilitation. Doosan Robotics increased ecosystem engagement by sponsoring national AI robotics challenges and expanding product promotion in Oct-2024, strengthening talent pipelines and commercial awareness. These vendor developments shorten deployment timelines and push Korean buyers to favour vendors that combine tested hardware, established training pathways, and demonstrable local-support capability.