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Where Does South Korea's Humanoid Robot Technology Stand?
In the first half of 2026, South Korea's humanoid robot industry moved beyond exhibition demos into actual industrial site validation stages. Hyundai Motor Group showcased its fully electric Atlas at CES 2026 and presented a mass production roadmap aiming for phased deployment in U.S. plants starting in 2028. Multiple media outlets reported that Rainbow Robotics' mobile dual-arm robot RB-Y1, for which Samsung Electronics is the largest shareholder, has been deployed to Coupang logistics centers for pilot testing. Meanwhile, the government aims to invest over 1 trillion won through the K-Humanoid Alliance by 2030, targeting the development of a robot AI foundation model by 2028 and mass production of over 1,000 units annually by 2029. Strategies among major conglomerates also clearly diverge, with LG Electronics targeting a separate front in home-use humanoids. However, while hardware competitiveness is approaching global levels, AI software (physical AI) remains in a chasing phase behind the U.S. and China, leaving South Korea with the challenge of combining verified hardware with smarter brains and turning field tests into actual revenue.
최수진 기자 · 06/19/2026
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KBR Special Reports
Winners and Losers in the AI Transition: How Prepared Are South Korean Enterprises?
이태민 책임기자 · 06/16/2026
KBR Research Notes
How Much Do We Spend on AI Subscriptions a Month? "One in Four Users Are Paid Subscribers"
김민경 책임기자 · 06/15/2026
KBR Research Notes
100 Days of the Hormuz Blockade: Can South Korea's 200 Days of Strategic Reserves Hold Out, and When Will Oil Prices Stabilize?
김민경 책임기자 · 06/11/2026
KBR Special Reports
"Pushed Out at an Average Age of 52.9"… The Cruel Re-employment History of Breadwinners in Their 40s and 50s, and the Truth Revealed by Statistics
강지혜 선임기자 · 06/11/2026
KBR Research Notes
One in Three Imported Cars is a Tesla: The 'EV Craze' Rocking the 2026 Auto Market
Domestic sales up 5.3% and eco-friendly vehicles account for 59% in Q1; Tesla takes the monthly top spot for four consecutive months, capturing 30% of import market share. Entering 2026 (Jan-May), South Korea's automobile market is showing a pattern of 'rapid internal realignment amid modest external growth.'
김민경 책임기자 · 06/09/2026
KBR Research Notes
"Searches Increased, But Clicks Disappeared": The 20-Year Traffic Economy Shaken by Zero-Click
As AI summaries provide answers on the first screen of search results, the 'zero-click' phenomenon is spreading, where even if search volume increases, clicks leading to website visits decrease. Analyses successively show that when Google AI Overviews are exposed, the click-through rates of top search results decline, shaking the traffic-based revenue structures of media outlets and content publishers. While traffic from AI searches such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity is still small in scale, it is evaluated as high-involvement traffic with long dwell times and high conversion quality. In South Korea, Naver maintains its search market share, but user information-seeking behavior is shifting toward generative AI, prompting Naver to also pivot its strategy toward AI briefings. Ultimately, the core issue is how to provide financial compensation and rewards to the media companies and creators who produced the information when AI utilizes their content to generate answers.
이태민 책임기자 · 06/08/2026
KBR Research Notes
Retirement Age for 40s and 50s is Accelerating — The Shock of the 60-Year Legal Retirement Age vs. the Reality of Retirement at 52.9
Although the legal retirement age is 60, the actual retirement clock stops much earlier. As of May 2026, South Korea's labor market shows a stark contrast between appearances and reality. According to employment trends for March 2026 released by the Statistics Korea (National Data Agency) on April 15, 2026, the overall employment rate hit 62.7%, marking a record high for the month of March since monthly statistics began in 1982.
KBR 편집부 · 05/10/2026
KBR Research Notes
Where Do Startup Funds Ultimately Flow? A Complete Anatomy of Labor Costs, R&D, and AI Infrastructure
This structure, consisting of 45% labor costs and 30% R&D, reflects early-stage startups' decisions to secure technological superiority over growth first. The Whereabouts of $425 Billion In 2025, the global venture capital market poured a total of $425 billion (approx. 580 trillion KRW) into the startup ecosystem over the course of the year.
KBR 편집부 · 05/07/2026
KBR Research Notes
Kia Surpasses Hyundai for the First Time in 28 Years in Domestic Sales... Tesla Era Begins for Imported Cars
Kia recorded its highest-ever first-quarter sales in the global market in the first quarter of 2026, breaking into the 4% range for the first time with a 4.1% global market share. A major shift in the market landscape: Two 'historical events' in the spring of 2026 simultaneously set two historical records in the domestic automobile market.
강지혜 기자 · 05/07/2026
