China's humanoids go job hunting amid Korea's bets on physical AI

Chinese humanoid robot makers are pursuing factory trials and commercial projects in Korea this year as Seoul increases investment in physical AI. Ubtech, Anyverse Dynamics, Agibot and Unitree are among the companies seeking a foothold, while Korean manufacturers and startups are also developing and testing robotics. The government has proposed 3.1 trillion won in physical AI funding for 2027 and aims to support 500 AI factories by 2030. Chinese suppliers face challenges including certification and finding local partners, amid debate over competition and cooperation.

Ubtech’s U1, a 1.68-meter-tall robot, was delivered to Seoul’s Galaxy Robot Park last month after the venue agreed to buy it for around 170,000 yuan.

Ubtech announced plans in July to trial humanoids on a Korean automotive parts production line with Duksan JM Robotics and AJIN Industrial.

Korea was China’s third-largest export market by value for intelligent bionic robots in the first seven months of the year, receiving 96.45 million yuan worth of exports.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources budgeted 1.1 trillion won for AI transformation this year through its Manufacturing AI Transformation program.

At a parliamentary audit on Oct. 6, Rep. Lee Jeong-heon brought robots from Unitree and Agibot to raise concerns about Korea’s competitiveness in physical AI.

Published Oct 23, 2026 7:00 am KST

Updated Oct 23, 2026 10:25 am KST

An image generated by ChatGPT

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.

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.

Lifelike humanoid model U1 from Chinese company Ubtech stands in Galaxy Robot Park in Seoul in September. Courtesy of Ubtech

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 that serves drinks, clears tables and resets seats. The robots are undergoing trial operation 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.

Chinese startup Anyverse Dynamics partners with Korean coffee chain Hollys at World Robot Conference 2026 in August in Beijing. Courtesy of Anyverse Dynamics

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 have 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.

今年，随着首尔加大对实体人工智能的投资，中国类人机器人制造商正积极在韩国开展工厂试验和商业项目。优必选（Ubtech）、安维斯动力（Anyverse Dynamics）、Agibot 和优尼特（Unitree）等公司都在寻求在韩国立足，与此同时，韩国的制造商和初创企业也在积极研发和测试机器人。韩国政府已提议在2027年投入3.1万亿韩元用于实体人工智能发展，并计划到2030年扶持500家人工智能工厂。在关于竞争与合作的争论中，中国供应商面临着认证和寻找本地合作伙伴等挑战。

优必选科技的 U1 是一款 1.68 米高的机器人，上个月被交付给首尔的银河机器人公园，此前该场馆同意以约 17 万元人民币的价格购买它。

优必选科技 (Ubtech) 于 7 月宣布计划与 Duksan JM Robotics 和 AJIN Industrial 合作，在韩国汽车零部件生产线上试用人形机器人。

今年前七个月，韩国是中国智能仿生机器人出口额第三大的市场，出口额达9645万元人民币。

今年，韩国产业通商资源部通过其“制造业人工智能转型计划”，为人工智能转型拨款 1.1 万亿韩元。

10 月 6 日，在国会审计中，李正宪议员带来了 Unitree 和 Agibot 的机器人，以表达对韩国在物理人工智能领域竞争力的担忧。

发布于2026年10月23日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月23日上午10:25（韩国标准时间）

由 ChatGPT 生成的图像

随着首尔加大对物理人工智能 (AI) 的投资，中国人形机器人制造商正加快在韩国站稳脚跟的步伐，从舞蹈表演和展厅展示转向工厂试验和其他商业应用。

今年，包括香港上市的优必选科技、初创公司Anyverse Dynamics、总部位于上海的Agibot和领先的机器人制造商优尼特科技在内的一系列中国机器人公司纷纷在国内展示实力或宣布项目。

“中国新一代机器人企业拥有全球化的基因，自然而然地将目光投向海外，而韩国是亚太地区最重要的市场之一，”Counterpoint Research负责机器人领域的副总监Ethan Qi表示。他还补充道，目前中国本土缺乏大规模生产的机器人，这为中国供应商创造了机会。

据优必选商用机器人事业部海外负责人秦先生透露，首尔一家以机器人为主题的娱乐场所——银河机器人公园的代表在6月份参观了优必选U1机器人在深圳的首次亮相后，同意购买该款栩栩如生的机器人。

秦先生表示，这款外形似女性、身高1.68米的机器人造价约17万元人民币（约合2.5万美元），已于上个月交付至园区。据他介绍，优必选早在2019年就已进入该市场，并已向数十家企业和政府客户售出超过1万台机器人。

9月，中国优必选科技（Ubtech）的仿真人形机器人模型U1在首尔银河机器人公园展出。图片由优必选科技提供。

今年7月，总部位于中国南方科技中心深圳的优必选科技（Ubtech）也宣布计划与韩国当地合作伙伴Duksan JM Robotics和零部件制造商AJIN Industrial合作，在韩国一条汽车零部件生产线上试用人形机器人。秦先生表示，优必选科技的多款机器人正在韩国进行现场运行测试，但他并未透露具体型号。

他表示：“作为制造业强国，韩国已经广泛使用机械臂、自主移动机器人和其他传统系统。下一步是帮助工人在需要更高灵活性的任务中提高生产效率。这使得韩国成为优必选科技以及更广泛的人形机器人技术的关键市场。”

“韩国是我们最重要的海外市场之一，”Anyverse Dynamics 的创始人兼首席执行官张宇峰说道，他之前曾在 SK Telecom 和现代汽车工作过。

这家总部位于北京的初创公司于8月在北京举行的世界机器人大会上与咖啡连锁店Hollys合作，测试能够提供饮品、清理餐桌和重新摆放座椅的机器人。张先生表示，这些机器人目前正在北京的一家咖啡馆进行试运行。

据中国海关统计，今年前七个月，韩国是中国“智能仿生机器人”出口额第三大市场，仅次于美国和日本。对韩出口额达9645万元人民币，占全球出口总额9.49亿元人民币的近一半。今年，中国已向95个国家和地区出口了12368台机器人，这些机器人属于今年新推出的“智能仿生机器人”海关分类，涵盖人形机器人和机器狗。

据《电子时报》本月援引 Labsdeep 的一份报告称，中国十大畅销人形机器人制造商中有八家一直在通过产品认证、商标申请和销售渠道试探韩国市场。

张先生表示：“我们计划在第四季度开始在韩国咖啡馆和其他商业服务场所进行试验，然后再扩大生产规模。”他还指出，公司一直在努力获得产品市场认证。

秦表示，例如，韩国严格的KC认证促使优必选科技调整其通信模块和射频设置以适应当地使用。

中国初创公司Anyverse Dynamics与韩国咖啡连锁店Hollys在8月于北京举行的2026年世界机器人大会上达成合作。图片由Anyverse Dynamics提供。

工厂作为主要试验场

过去两年，中国机器人产业的蓬勃发展催生了一批独角兽企业，其中一些企业已经宣布实现大规模出货，并拥有完善的国内供应链。它们迫切寻求实际应用，以证明对人形机器人的投资和炒作的合理性，这与韩国大力发展实体人工智能的趋势不谋而合。

随着劳动年龄人口减少和经济增长放缓，首尔正优先发展人工智能技术以增强制造业实力。韩国政府已提议在2027年投入3.1万亿韩元（约合23.4亿美元）用于实体人工智能发展，是今年投入的三倍多。

韩国产业通商资源部的“制造业人工智能转型计划”（M.AX）旨在支持人工智能的应用和机器人（包括人形机器人）的工厂试验，目标是到2030年建成500家人工智能工厂。该部门今年为人工智能转型拨款1.1万亿韩元。

韩国产业通商资源部长官金正冠在8月份表示，政府将支持人工智能和机器人运营的工厂，帮助韩国在2030年成为“制造业人工智能转型领域的全球领导者”。

在这一推动下，韩国的工业巨头们也在快速行动。

LG电子正在首尔建设数据工厂，用于训练工业和家用机器人，同时也在自家生产线上测试机器人。三星电子于7月成立了机器人体验部门，目标是先进军制造业，然后再拓展到家用和零售领域。据《中央日报》周二报道，一款旨在全天候运行于制造业和物流业的双足机器人有望在2027年国际消费电子展（CES）上亮相。

现代汽车集团已开始在其佐治亚州工厂园区对波士顿动力公司的Atlas人形机器人进行训练，计划于2028年将其部署到生产制造环节。斗山机器人公司发布了人工智能驱动的打磨和码垛系统，并在英伟达的支持下开发机器人控制软件。

韩国的创业生态系统也在吸引新的资金。据韩国创业和风险投资数据库平台The VC追踪的数据显示，人工智能和机器人领域在第三季度的投资额中占比高达45%。在物理人工智能领域，资金不仅流向了机器人制造商，还流向了开发机器人基础模型和提供训练数据的初创公司。

Counterpoint公司的齐表示，韩国在汽车制造、造船和半导体领域拥有丰富的潜在部署地点。但对中国供应商来说，获得市场准入却并非易事——他们需要当地客户愿意与他们合作开展概念验证试验。

合作伙伴或竞争对手

外国企业的进入引发了政治辩论。10月6日，在国会的一次审计中，韩国执政党共同民主党议员李正宪带来了来自中国优尼特瑞（Unitree）和艾吉博特（Agibot）的机器人，以此质疑韩国在实体人工智能领域的竞争力。

主要反对党国民力量党的议员安哲洙质疑他们的安全检查，并指责国会为中国技术提供舞台。

韩国副总理兼科学技术信息通信部长裴京勋敦促韩国加大对实体人工智能的投资和研发力度，并指出中国正在不断部署人形机器人。

据 MoneyToday 报道，他在 10 月 13 日于首尔 COEX 举行的物理人工智能技术周圆桌会议上表示：“中国也在实地部署更多的人形机器人并收集数据。”

裴俊浩质疑韩国的计划是否足够大胆，并呼吁制定更高的目标，以免未来几年因投资不足而后悔。他还表示，由于政府无法包揽一切，企业也需要承担更多责任。

韩国贸易投资振兴公社深圳办事处主任朴英勋也看到了合作的机会。

“企业需要利用深圳本地供应链和创新能力，在与中国科技公司竞争的同时，探索新的商机，”他10月份告诉当地媒体Newspim。

张先生认为两国产业优势“高度互补”。他表示，韩国在先进制造业方面拥有全球领先地位，并具备人工智能创新能力；而中国则拥有完善的供应链、深厚的工程和人工智能人才储备以及快速的产品迭代能力。

秦先生表示，尽管韩国政府出台了有利于国内企业的政策，但这并未阻止韩国客户考虑中国供应商。“我们接触过的韩国客户都愿意与中国机器人制造商合作。”