Daegu Metropolitan City is partnering with HD Hyundai Robotics, headquartered in the city, to seek designation as a national high-tech strategic industry specialized zone, aiming to secure an early lead in the rapidly emerging humanoid robot sector.
The city plans to develop robotics as a core future growth engine and establish a complete industrial ecosystem spanning from core component development to finished product manufacturing and demonstration, centered on leading humanoid robot companies. The goal is to transform Daegu into an "AI advanced robotics capital."
According to Daegu city officials on the 3rd, the city possesses Korea's top-tier robotics infrastructure, including the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement and the National Robot Test Field.
This concentrated environment enables research and development, demonstration, and commercialization within a single region, making it an optimal location for nurturing national high-tech strategic industries.
Approximately 150 of the region's 250 robot companies—about 60 percent—are clustered within the proposed specialized zone, creating favorable conditions for inter-industry linkage and collaboration.
Under the city's plan, the specialized zone will be developed around four key hubs: humanoid R&D at Technopolis, robot software and AI at Suseong Alpha City, robot parts supply chain at Seoseo Industrial Complex, and production base and demand centers at National Industrial Complex.
The city aims to organically connect these hubs to build a complete value chain ecosystem from component development to finished product demonstration.
Working with regional leaders including HD Hyundai Robotics and companies pursuing robot transformation (RX), Daegu has set targets of developing five humanoid robot finished products, localizing 10 core components, nurturing 350 specialized companies, and training 2,000 professionals.
"Daegu has accumulated various technology and demonstration infrastructure to develop robotics as a core future growth industry," said Jeong Ui-gwan, Director of Future Innovation Growth at Daegu Metropolitan City. "Through the specialized zone designation, we will enhance national robot industry competitiveness and lead manufacturing innovation."