The robotics industry is emerging as a new leading sector in Korea's stock market, following artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors. Amid growing expectations for the commercialization of humanoid robots, the upcoming Korea visit by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has further fueled gains in related stocks this year.
According to the Korea Exchange on Tuesday, among Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) stocks with a market capitalization of more than 50 trillion won, those expected to expand into robotics — Hyundai Motor (005380.KS), Hyundai Mobis (012330.KS), Kia (000270.KS), and LG Electronics (066570.KS) — recorded an average share price gain of 155% this year.
The most notable stock is LG Electronics. Its share price jumped from 91,400 won on January 2, the first trading day of the year, to 392,500 won on Tuesday, a gain of 329%. The stock hit the daily upper limit three times this year — on the 21st and 29th of last month, and on the 1st of this month.
LG Electronics is expanding its business beyond its core home appliance segment into logistics robots such as the "CLOi CarryBot" and home robots like "CLOid." The company also recently drew investor attention by announcing plans to develop its own physical AI model based on Nvidia's general-purpose humanoid reasoning model, "Isaac GR00T."
Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis, and Kia gained 144%, 105%, and 40%, respectively. Hyundai Motor and Kia have drawn strong interest by showcasing "Atlas," the humanoid robot from their robotics subsidiary Boston Dynamics, while Hyundai Mobis has emerged as a key parts supplier for Atlas.
Small- and mid-cap robot stocks also rallied. Doosan Robotics (454910.KS) climbed 107% this year, while Rainbow Robotics (277810.KQ) and Robotis (108490.KQ) rose 54% and 50%, respectively.
The market attributes the recent strength of robot stocks to the "Nvidia effect." Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, recently said, "Nvidia hopes to contribute to the development of robotics in Korea." His scheduled visit to Korea on Wednesday has further improved investor sentiment, analysts said.
Global events scheduled for the second half of the year are also raising expectations for robot stocks. In the third quarter, Hyundai Motor will launch the Robot Metaplant Application Center (RMAC), a training facility for deploying humanoid robots. The center is expected to serve as a physical AI testbed that connects robot training, actual process validation, work data accumulation, and retraining.
Tesla is set to unveil the third generation of its Optimus humanoid robot (V3) this summer. Tesla has stated that it expects to secure annual production capacity of 1 million units by the end of this year, raising hopes for commercialization.
The first listing of a humanoid robot company on the Chinese stock market is also slated for July or August, pending review procedures. Unitree, a company specializing in quadruped robots and considered a leader in China's humanoid robot industry, passed the listing review of the STAR Market (the Sci-Tech Innovation Board) of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on the 1st. If Unitree goes public, a virtuous cycle of "listing rushes" by related Chinese companies and capital inflows is expected to follow.
