Chinese humanoid robot makers are accelerating efforts to gain a foothold in Korea, moving beyond dance performances and showroom displays to factory trials and other commercial applications as Seoul beefs up investment in physical artificial intelligence (AI).

A string of Chinese robotics companies have flexed their muscles or announced projects in the country this year, including Hong Kong-listed Ubtech, startup Anyverse Dynamics, Shanghai-based Agibot and leading robot maker Unitree.

“China’s new generation of robot companies has global DNA and naturally looks overseas, and Korea is one of the most important markets in Asia-Pacific,” said Ethan Qi, an associate director covering robotics at Counterpoint Research. The absence of locally built humanoids available at scale has created an opening for Chinese suppliers, he added.

Early footprint

Representatives of Galaxy Robot Park, a robot-themed entertainment venue in Seoul, agreed to buy Ubtech’s lifelike U1 model after attending its debut in Shenzhen in June, according to Sean Qin, overseas head of the company's commercial robots division.

The robot, designed with a female appearance and standing 1.68 meters tall, cost around 170,000 yuan ($25,000) and was delivered to the park last month, Qin said. Ubtech tapped the market as early as 2019 and has since sold more than 10,000 robots to dozens of corporate and government customers, according to him.

In July, Ubtech, headquartered in China’s southern tech hub Shenzhen, also announced plans to trial humanoids on a Korean automotive parts production line with local partner Duksan JM Robotics and parts maker AJIN Industrial. Several Ubtech models are undergoing on-site operational tests in the country, Qin said, without specifying.

“As a manufacturing powerhouse, Korea already makes extensive use of robotic arms, autonomous mobile robots and other conventional systems,” he said. “The next step is to help workers become more productive in tasks that demand greater flexibility. That makes Korea a key market for Ubtech and for humanoids more broadly.”

“Korea is one of our most important overseas markets,” said Zhang Yufeng, founder and CEO of Anyverse Dynamics, who previously worked with SK Telecom and Hyundai Motor.

The Beijing-based startup teamed up with coffee chain Hollys at the World Robot Conference in Beijing in August to test robots serving drinks, clearing tables and resetting seats. The robots are undergoing trial operaion at a cafe in Beijing, Zhang said.

Korea ranked as China’s third-largest export market by value for “intelligent bionic robots” in the first seven months of this year, trailing the United States and Japan, according to Chinese customs statistics. Exports to Korea totaled 96.45 million yuan out of 949 million yuan shipped globally. China exported 12,368 robots to 95 countries and regions under the customs category, introduced this year, which covers humanoids and robot dogs.

Eight of China’s 10 top-selling humanoid robot makers have been testing the waters in Korea through product certification, trademark filings and sales channels, according to a Labsdeep report cited by Electronic Times this month.

“We plan to begin trials in Korean cafes and other commercial service settings in the fourth quarter, before expanding into manufacturing,” Zhang said, noting that the company has been working on product certification for the market.

Korea’s stringent KC certification prompted Ubtech to adapt its communications modules and radio frequency settings for local use, for example, Qin said.

Factories as main testing ground

China’s robotics boom has spawned a wave of unicorn firms over the past two years, with some already claiming mass shipment, backed by an extensive supply chain at home. Their urgent search for practical applications to justify the investment and hype surrounding humanoids coincides with Korea’s physical AI drive.

Seoul is prioritizing the technology to strengthen manufacturing as its working-age population shrinks and potential economic growth slows. The government has proposed 3.1 trillion won ($2.34 billion) in physical AI funding for 2027, more than triple this year’s figure.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources’ Manufacturing AI Transformation program, dubbed M.AX, supports AI adoption and factory trials of robots, including humanoids, with a target of 500 AI factories by 2030. The ministry budgeted 1.1 trillion won to AI transformation this year.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said in August that the government would support factories operated by AI and robots, helping Korea become “a global leader in manufacturing AI transformation by 2030.”

Korea’s industrial heavyweights are also moving fast amid the push.

LG Electronics is building its Data Factory in Seoul to train robots for industrial and household applications, while testing robots on its own production lines. Samsung Electronics established its Robotics eXperience division in July, targeting manufacturing before expanding into homes and retail. A bipedal robot designed to operate round-the-clock in manufacturing and logistics will potentially debut at CES 2027, JoongAng Ilbo reported on Tuesday.

Hyundai Motor Group has begun training Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoids at its Georgia factory campus, ahead of a planned 2028 deployment in manufacturing. Doosan Robotics has unveiled AI-powered sanding and palletizing systems and is developing robot-control software, with support from Nvidia.

Korea’s startup ecosystem is also drawing fresh capital. AI and robotics accounted for 45 percent by value of third-quarter investments tracked by The VC, a Korean startup and venture capital investment database platform. Within physical AI, funding is reaching robot makers as well as startups developing foundational models for robots and supplying training data.

Korea offers a wealth of potential deployment sites in carmaking, shipbuilding and semiconductors, Counterpoint's Qi said. But gaining access is difficult for Chinese suppliers — they need local customers willing to work with them on proof-of-concept trials.

Partners or competitors

The foreign entrants have stirred political debate. At a parliamentary audit on Oct. 6, Rep. Lee Jeong-heon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea brought in robots from China’s Unitree and Agibot to challenge the government over Korea’s competitiveness in physical AI.

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the main opposition People Power Party questioned their security checks and accused the National Assembly of providing a stage for Chinese technology.

Deputy Prime Minister and Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon urged Korea to ramp up physical AI investment and development, pointing to China’s growing deployment of humanoids.

“China is also deploying more humanoid robots in the field and collecting data,” he said during a Physical AI Tech Week roundtable at Seoul’s Coex on Oct. 13, quoted by MoneyToday.

Bae questioned whether Korea’s plans were bold enough and called for higher targets to avoid regretting insufficient investment in the years ahead. Companies also needed to shoulder more, as the government could not support everything, he said.

Park Young-hoon, head of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency’s Shenzhen office, also sees opportunities for cooperation.

“Companies need to explore new business opportunities using Shenzhen’s local supply chains and innovation capabilities while competing with Chinese technology companies,” he told local media outlet Newspim in October.

Zhang sees the two countries’ industrial strengths as “highly complementary.” Korea combines global leadership in advanced manufacturing with a capacity for AI innovation, while China offers a comprehensive supply chain, a deep pool of engineering, AI talents and rapid product iteration, he said.

For Qin, policies favoring domestic companies has not deterred Korean customers from considering Chinese suppliers. “The Korean customers we have dealt with are open to working with Chinese robot makers,” he said.