The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has laid out plans to make Seoul the world’s most innovative robotics city. In a statement announcing the Seoul Comprehensive Robotics Industry Development Plan, the SMG said it will “prioritize robotics technology as a strategic industry for the city’s future” as it seeks to use robotic services to support the transition towards an ageing society. The plan runs until 2026 with a budget of 202.9 billion KRW.
According to the city government, robots are “a new growth engine for the city’s future industries and an effective solution to address social challenges the city now faces”. The plan comprises 15 policies. Among others, it will establish the Suseo Robotics Cluster, with a tech center, theme park and science center, as well as develop six new public-private partnership models by 2026. There are also plans to create a robotics-investment fund for technology development, foster robotics startups, and expand care robot services.
With the new plan in place, Seoul aims to increase public familiarity with robots by “expanding the utilization of robot services across various domains”, it writes in the statement. ce/em
