Key points: On September 30, the government convened the ninth meeting of the National High-Tech Strategic Industries Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, and newly designated three specialized complexes in robotics, defense, and secondary batteries.
The government will support private-sector investment totaling 12.9877 trillion won through 2042.
The plans include 5.3839 trillion won for robotics in Daegu and North Gyeongsang (Gumi and Pohang), 2.2314 trillion won for defense in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, and 5.3724 trillion won for secondary-battery materials in Gwangyang, Yeosu, and Suncheon, South Jeolla. These are the first specialized complexes for robotics and defense.
On September 30, the government held the ninth meeting of the National High-Tech Strategic Industries Committee at the Government Complex Seoul, chaired by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, and designated three new specialized complexes for national high-tech strategic industries in robotics, defense, and secondary batteries.
The government will support private-sector investment totaling 12.9877 trillion won through 2042 with infrastructure, technology development, and workforce training.
Specialized complexes are industrial hubs that receive concentrated government support under the Special Act on the Promotion of High-Tech Strategic Industries. Five regions applied during a call for proposals held from December last year to February this year. The government selected three after assessing whether they had leading companies, plans for new investment, potential to develop their industrial ecosystems, and contributions to balanced regional development.
The robotics and defense complexes are the first of their kind since the two sectors were designated as high-tech strategic technologies in December 2024.
Daegu and North Gyeongsang (Gumi and Pohang) aim for a 20% share of humanoid production
The robotics specialized complex brings together Daegu and North Gyeongsang, including Gumi and Pohang, as a single area. The government said it took into account the concentration and interconnectedness of related industries in the region.
The goal is to build an end-to-end humanoid ecosystem spanning research and development, core components, finished-product manufacturing, testing, and commercialization. Humanoids are robots shaped like people that can walk and use their hands.
Linked to 5.3839 trillion won in investment by leading companies, the plan will help local auto-parts manufacturers transition to producing robot components and establish a robot data factory connected to Daegu and North Gyeongsang’s specialized industries. A robot data factory is a facility that collects large volumes of movement data for robots to learn from.
To open up an early market, the government will begin public procurement of domestically made humanoids next year. It aims for Daegu and North Gyeongsang to account for 20% of global humanoid production by 2030.
Changwon to become a launchpad for domestic aircraft-engine production
The defense specialized complex is centered on the Changwon National Industrial Complex in South Gyeongsang. Private investment of 2.2314 trillion won is planned through 2042, and the complex will be linked to a project to develop advanced aircraft engines domestically, jointly pursued by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Korea AeroSpace Administration.
South Korea currently relies entirely on imports for advanced aircraft engines, such as those used in fighter jets. The government said it would connect Changwon, focused on aircraft engines and materials and components, with Sacheon and Jinju, focused on finished aircraft and the aerospace industry, to create an end-to-end aerospace belt in South Gyeongsang. It also plans to equip the region with testing and evaluation facilities and specialized personnel, developing it into a global aircraft-engine hub.
Gwangyang, Yeosu, and Suncheon to cover battery materials from the ground up
The secondary-battery specialized complex will cover Gwangyang, Yeosu, and Suncheon in South Jeolla. Building on the region’s production capacity for basic secondary-battery materials—among the largest in the country—the plan is to establish a domestic raw-material supply chain and complete an end-to-end K-battery value chain extending from materials to battery manufacturing.
Led by major companies, investment of 5.3724 trillion won is planned through 2036 for key raw materials, including lithium refining and processing. This process extracts lithium from mined ore or brine and purifies it to a grade suitable for batteries. South Korea has so far depended heavily on China for this stage.
Government to lead the way by purchasing 200,000 AI robots
The third agenda item was a plan to expand the use of AI robots and physical AI in ways that benefit the public. Physical AI refers to AI embodied in machines such as robots, rather than software existing only on a screen.
The government said the United States and China are leading the global AI-robot market, and that both countries’ governments are creating public-sector demand to help companies begin mass production early.
By contrast, domestic companies remain focused on research and development due to a lack of market demand and technological limitations, while preparations for large-scale production are still under way. Concerned that the country could lose its competitive footing if it fails to open an early market, the government plans to distribute 200,000 robots through a public-private partnership.
Next year, the government will directly purchase at least 1,700 robots and deploy them in public-safety settings, workplaces facing labor shortages, and education and cultural institutions. From 2028, the program will expand to state-run companies and local governments.
To address concerns about inadequate performance or robots being left unused after deployment, the government said it would establish an aftercare system and use feedback from worksites to improve the technology. It will encourage private-sector adoption through purchase subsidies, rental support, and regulatory improvements, while expanding mass-production capacity mainly in Saemangeum and Daegu and North Gyeongsang.
Data collected from deployed robots will be used to develop an independent physical AI foundation model. A foundation model is a basic AI model that can be used across a range of robots and tasks. The government said it would first apply services built on this model in labor-shortage settings, such as postal logistics and regional manufacturing, and in public-safety fields involving bridges, maritime environments, and fires.
Image sensors: narrower scope of protection
The second agenda item was a revision to the list of national high-tech strategic technologies. There are currently 19 designated technologies: eight in semiconductors, four in displays, three in secondary batteries, two in biotechnology, one in robotics, and one in defense.
Companies that possess these technologies must obtain approval from the minister of trade, industry and energy before transferring them overseas, and must take measures such as setting up protected areas and restricting access.
The change concerns image sensors, semiconductors that convert light into image data. The smaller the pixels, the higher the resolution. The current designation, “image-sensor design, process, and device technologies for pixels of 0.8 micrometers or less,” will be narrowed to “design and process technologies for individual pixel devices in image sensors with pixels of 0.8 micrometers or less.”
The light-receiving component, the core of the sensor, will remain protected, while the lower substrate that supplies it with power and the general-purpose circuitry that transmits electrical signals externally will be removed from the scope of protection. Major overseas image-sensor companies make only the light-receiving component in-house and outsource the substrate and circuitry, using a collaborative supply chain.
The government explained that removing less critical technologies from the scope of protection would allow limited resources to be used more efficiently and help reduce costs.
The government will complete the revision process after amending the Special Act on the Promotion of High-Tech Strategic Industries to prevent technology leaks in areas no longer covered by protection. Under the similar Act on the Prevention of Divulgence and Protection of Industrial Technology, a bill was introduced on July 30 to allow punishment for leaks that occurred before a technology’s designation was lifted.
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Han said advanced industries such as AI, semiconductors, batteries, and robotics are creating new markets and industries and bringing major changes to the national economy and industrial structure. He said efforts to develop advanced industries as future growth engines and strengthen investment and industrial ecosystems have become increasingly important.
Han said the designation of the specialized complexes would strengthen the global competitiveness of advanced industries, expand the industrial foundation supporting corporate investment and innovation, foster regional industrial ecosystems, and promote balanced development among regions.