Korea to invest $2.3 bn by 2030 to boost robot industry

The South Korean government plans to invest 3 trillion won ($2.33 billion) by 2030 to boost the robot industry, in a move to increase the size of the ‘K-robot’ industry, currently at 5 trillion won, to 20 trillion won.

The measure was unveiled during a meeting chaired by Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Bang Moon-kyu on Thursday as part of the country’s vision and strategy to advance the robot industry.

Under the plan, the government will invest 3 trillion won by 2030 through public-private partnerships to enhance the competitiveness of the robot industry. With this investment, robot exports are forecast to increase to 5 trillion won by 2030 from 1.1 trillion won in 2021.

The goal is to secure eight core technologies, including reducers, sensors, grippers, controllers, and autonomous movement software, and to foster more than 15,000 robot specialists in collaboration with the mobility industry, including future vehicles and drones.

The government will also accelerate the deployment of robots. It plans to deploy over 1 million units by 2030, supplying a total of 680,000 robots in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, and logistics. Additionally, 320,000 robots will be introduced to the social sector, which is still in the early stages of using robots compared to other industries, in representative fields including caregiving and healthcare.