South Korea is redefining industrial innovation via robotics. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) is popping robots—as soon as seen as manufacturing facility instruments—into the core engines of Bodily AI. A brand new coverage roundtable in Daegu indicators not simply sectoral help, however a strategic blueprint for aligning AI-driven manufacturing with startup agility and national-scale industrial transformation.
MSS Brings Robotics Startups to the Heart of Korea’s Industrial Coverage
On February 6, 2026, Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) led a coverage roundtable at Daegu Techno Park centered on advancing Korea’s robotics ventures and startups.
The occasion gathered over fifty members from robotic producers, system integration (SI) companies, Bodily AI mannequin builders, analysis establishments, and technical faculties, establishing a direct dialogue between policymakers and business gamers.
Minister Han outlined a multi-stage plan to assist robotics startups grow to be industrial pillars, emphasizing focused help in startup creation, enterprise funding, R&D help, and public demonstration tasks that speed up real-world deployment.
She said:
“Robots are the important thing devices that carry AI into real-world operation. The robotics business is poised to grow to be Korea’s subsequent progress engine as a producing powerhouse. We are going to drive company-specific help that connects innovation to commercialization.”
Robotics Turns into Korea’s Testbed for Bodily AI
The Daegu assembly adopted the Nationwide Startup Period Technique Convention held on January 30, the place the MSS recognized robotics as a next-generation strategic sector.
Daegu’s designation as a International Innovation Zone for AI Robots added each symbolism and practicality, as the town now features as a nationwide pilot zone for integrating AI, {hardware}, and industrial automation.
This focus displays Korea’s broader coverage trajectory since 2025, when “Bodily AI” turned a defining theme throughout authorities expertise agendas. It represents the convergence of synthetic intelligence with bodily programs—robots, mobility platforms, and industrial machines—that may understand, act, and adapt inside real-world environments.
The MSS’s newest initiative positions startups as operational leaders inside this transformation, extending the nation’s deep-tech ambitions past semiconductors and software program into embodied AI programs.
Discipline Voices Form Coverage Path in Robotics Startups and Bodily AI Korea
In the course of the dialogue, members emphasised the urgency of translating coverage intent into executable mechanisms.
Their suggestions included:
- Increasing enterprise capital channels to bridge seed-stage robotics funding gaps.
- Strengthening R&D grant packages that combine AI and sensor fusion applied sciences.
- Creating early markets via public procurement and demand-driven demonstration tasks.
- Constructing expertise pipelines that join specialised training to startup recruitment.
Minister Han additionally addressed administrative friction in authorities financing programs—urging vigilance towards unlawful third-party fund brokers—and known as on subject officers to make sure that coverage funds attain SMEs with out distortion.
Earlier than the roundtable, she met with monetary officers on the Small Enterprise and Market Service (SEMAS) Daegu Northern Heart to examine mortgage execution practices and reaffirm transparency requirements.
From Robotics to Bodily AI — Korea’s Subsequent Leap
The MSS’s robotics initiative represents greater than industrial coverage; it indicators a strategic convergence of AI, {hardware}, and manufacturing ecosystems.
By centering robotics inside Korea’s Bodily AI framework, the ministry is linking startup agility to industrial-scale transformation—a mannequin that world economies are more and more watching.
This initiative aligns with Korea’s broader trajectory following its Bodily AI Startup Alliance with NVIDIA and enterprise capital leaders, in addition to the federal government’s participation in AI-driven manufacturing acceleration packages led by MOTIE and MSIT.
In ecosystem phrases, the Daegu initiative expands Korea’s startup coverage horizon:
- Robotics startups now profit from national-level institutional visibility as soon as restricted to digital tech ventures.
- Native innovation hubs like Daegu Techno Park have gotten testbeds for public-private collaboration in industrial AI purposes.
- The coverage additionally enhances Korea’s deep-tech enlargement technique, making certain that Bodily AI startups achieve structured help just like software-based innovators.
For world readers—buyers, founders, and policymakers—this shift illustrates how Korea is operationalizing AI throughout real-world industries. It positions the nation not simply as a quick adopter of clever automation, however as an rising exporter of embodied AI programs constructed by startups.
Robotics as a Bridge Between Coverage and Market Execution
The Daegu roundtable exhibits how Korea is translating its Bodily AI imaginative and prescient into field-level execution. For startups, this implies coverage entry tied to actual commercialization pathways. For presidency companies, it demonstrates how AI-driven manufacturing can evolve via cooperation, not simply funding.
Minister Han’s message underscored that Korea’s subsequent wave of innovation won’t be powered by digital platforms alone, however by machines that may study, adapt, and work alongside people—an evolution rooted in manufacturing however pushed by startups.
Key Takeaway on Korea’s Robotics Startup and Bodily AI Coverage
- Occasion: Robotics Enterprise and Startup Coverage Roundtable, February 6, 2026, Daegu Techno Park.
- Led by: Minister Han Seong-sook, Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS).
- Core Theme: Positioning robotics as Korea’s subsequent progress engine throughout the Bodily AI period.
- Coverage Actions: Tailor-made help for startups via funding, R&D, public verification, and procurement.
- Ecosystem Affect: Strengthens Korea’s industrial AI and robotics ecosystem; bridges nationwide manufacturing technique with startup innovation.
- Global Context: Aligns with Korea’s broader Bodily AI agenda following the NVIDIA–Korea partnership and rising industrial AI alliances.
– Keep Forward in Korea’s Startup Scene –
Get real-time insights, funding updates, and coverage shifts shaping Korea’s innovation ecosystem.
➡️ Comply with KoreaTechDesk on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky, Telegram, Fb, and WhatsApp Channel.
Elevate your perspective with NextTech Information, the place innovation meets perception.
Uncover the newest breakthroughs, get unique updates, and join with a world community of future-focused thinkers.
Unlock tomorrow’s tendencies in the present day: learn extra, subscribe to our publication, and grow to be a part of the NextTech neighborhood at NextTech-news.com
