Doosan Robotics (454910.KS) and other robotics-related stocks are surging. While the stock market has been led by a semiconductor-driven rally, a sector rotation appears to be unfolding with robotics stocks at the center.
According to the Korea Exchange on Wednesday, Doosan Robotics shares were trading at 134,800 won, up 28,000 won, or 26.22%, from the previous session. Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) rose 4.63%, LG Electronics (066570.KS) gained 13.36%, and LG Corp. (003550.KS) climbed 12.21%.
Robotics stocks have recently appeared at the top of foreign investors' net buying lists, drawing assessments that they will lead the KOSPI index following semiconductors. From the 4th to the 14th of this month, Doosan Robotics was the most heavily net-bought stock by foreign investors on the KOSPI market, with 260.7 billion won in purchases. During the same period, foreign investors net sold 9.71 trillion won worth of SK hynix and 6.87 trillion won worth of Samsung Electronics.
The rally is interpreted as reflecting growing expectations for the humanoid robot business as the era of physical artificial intelligence (AI) approaches. According to KB Securities, the humanoid market is projected to grow at an annual average rate of 77% through 2035, expanding from approximately $4 billion in 2026 to around $663 billion by 2035.
Analysts also suggest that U.S. regulations targeting Chinese robotics could deliver indirect benefits to Korean companies. In March, the United States introduced the "American Security Robotics Act," which aims to block the penetration of robotics technologies from adversarial nations such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran into U.S. public infrastructure.
"The bill limits its regulatory scope to specific countries, making it unlikely that Korea's supply chain will be excluded," said Lim Eun-young, an analyst at Samsung Securities. "There is a strong possibility that the policy's influence will expand to private supply chains where federal funds are injected."
