Gyeongbuk and Daegu Named Korea's First Robot Special Zone

Recap

Source: 로봇신문, report of Oct. 1, 2026

According to the report, Gyeongbuk Province and Daegu were officially designated as a unified national advanced strategic industry special zone for robotics on October 30, following a review by the National Advanced Strategic Industry Committee. This marks the first time a robot-specific special zone has been established in South Korea. Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo stated that the province now holds special zone designations in four key fields: semiconductors, secondary batteries, biotech, and robotics.

The core strategy involves linking Gumi and Pohang to build a full-cycle value chain. Gumi, home to over 3,000 companies in its national industrial complex, will focus on mass-producing core robot components, leveraging its existing precision parts supply chain. The province noted that Samsung Electronics' recent announcement of investment plans in Gumi’s robot sector will help expand local participation by parts suppliers. Pohang will handle robot development and field validation, utilizing research institutions like KIRO and demand from steel and battery industries. The report highlights Newromeka, a Pohang-based company, as a key player in collaborative and humanoid robot development, working with POSCO on manufacturing automation.

Daegu will complement this ecosystem by providing a software base and hosting the National Robot Test Field project, which focuses on performance evaluation and certification. Governor Lee emphasized that this cross-regional cooperation is a starting point for creating a new growth axis for Korea’s robot industry, promising multi-faceted support to ensure the sector becomes a competitive growth engine for the region.

Context

South Korea has been aggressively pursuing a national strategy to become a global leader in robotics, particularly in industrial automation and humanoid platforms. The '5 Poles, 3 Specials' growth model aims to decentralize industrial development beyond the Seoul metropolitan area. By integrating Gyeongbuk and Daegu, the government is testing a 'super-regional' cooperation model that combines manufacturing density with specialized R&D infrastructure. This follows similar integration efforts in the semiconductor and battery sectors, where regional clusters have been designated to streamline supply chains and attract private investment.

Robot's take

This designation is significant because it moves beyond simple subsidies to creating a structured ecosystem that links component manufacturing with real-world validation. The inclusion of Daegu’s test field is a crucial step for standardizing robot performance, which has been a bottleneck for commercial adoption. However, the success of this initiative will depend on whether the private investment, particularly from Samsung, materializes as planned. It remains to be seen if the integration of two distinct administrative regions can overcome bureaucratic hurdles to deliver a cohesive industrial strategy.