정부, 휴머노이드 육성에 2.3조 투입…2030년 양산 목표

The South Korean government has announced a massive investment of 2.3 trillion won to develop 'K-humans', humanoid robots, by 2030. In addition to this, 2.8 trillion won will be invested in eight key areas of physical AI research. The Ministry of Planning and Budget held a meeting on the 27th at the Seoul District Office of Savings Insurance to discuss the financial investment plan.

The plan aims to create a production system for humanoid robots in 10 different sectors (display, aviation, logistics, distribution, shipbuilding, automotive, home appliances, chemicals, and hospitals) by 2030, increasing the domestic component manufacturing rate from 45% to 80%. The government plans to purchase 1,080 domestically produced humanoid robots by 2030, starting with 6 trillion won in the next year.

The plan also includes investing in physical AI research across eight key sectors, which, when combined with local and municipal funds, will total 4 trillion won. The government aims to provide practical experience for individual companies in robot testing by placing robots in 500 or more manufacturing sites, farms, construction sites, ports, and military bases.

This includes deploying care robots in nursing homes and introducing civilian physical AI technology in potentially hazardous or non-combat military missions. The government is also investing 2388 billion won in innovative startups in areas such as pharmaceutical biotechnology and climate technology, and streamlining the 31 trillion won plan for SME support by consolidating it into 232 projects across 22 ministry agencies.

Minister of Planning and Budget Park Hong-guen stated, "While America relies on capital and China on scale, the next three years will determine which realm - technology or standards - will be the dominant force." He added, "I will actively support the ministries in closely collaborating to enable companies to maximize their respective strengths and achieve results."