The Ministry of Science and ICT (led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon) held a meeting on August 25 to gather the views of experts from academia, industry and research on the draft roadmap for the ‘K-Moonshot AI Humanoid Mission.’ The government aims to marshal the nation’s full capabilities to secure a world-class national flagship K-Humanoid platform within three years.
 [코리안투데이] On-site communication meeting on the draft roadmap for the ‘K-Moonshot AI Humanoid Mission’ © 장형임 기자 |
Humanoids, human-shaped robots combined with artificial intelligence (AI), are emerging as a key strategic field poised to transform a wide range of industries and everyday life, including manufacturing, logistics, household chores, care and disaster response. Major nations such as the United States and China, backed by large-scale government-led investment and the participation of global big tech firms, are accelerating the development of core technologies such as humanoid foundation models, actuators and sensors, competing to gain an early foothold in the ecosystem.
Amid this contest for technological supremacy, the meeting arranged by the Ministry of Science and ICT was designed to share the direction and implementation roadmap (draft) of the ‘K-Moonshot AI Humanoid Mission,’ a bold and innovative national research and development (R&D) project, and to raise the completeness of the roadmap by reflecting the voices of field experts in robot hardware and software, components and finished-product manufacturing. The mission is built around bringing together the capabilities of academia, industry and research from the development of AI models and core components through to demonstration and mass production.
At the meeting, Yeo Jun-koo, the overall program director (PD) of the K-Moonshot AI Humanoid Mission, presented the draft roadmap. Plans for new support programs were then shared, including the ‘Next-X Humanoid Challenge,’ which will invite and evaluate humanoid robots developed in Korea, select candidates and, through development support, ultimately choose national flagship-class platforms starting in 2027. An appointment ceremony was also held for members of the ‘Humanoid Mission Steering Committee,’ which will help lead the mission. In the general discussion that followed, participants examined key tasks for the mission’s success, including the development of core original humanoid technologies, the securing of data, the establishment of a foundation for academia-industry-research cooperation, and the linking of research outcomes to industrialization and global expansion.
Director Yeo Jun-koo stressed, ‘The next big wave to come after AI is Physical Intelligence, which judges and moves on its own in the physical world, and humanoids are its core platform,’ adding, ‘To respond to the national crisis of population decline and to secure future national competitiveness, we must nurture a K-Humanoid equipped with technological sovereignty as a national strategic asset.’
Kim Sung-soo, head of the Ministry’s R&D Policy Bureau, said, ‘Humanoids go beyond being simple robotic devices; they are the pinnacle of technology in which AI, semiconductors and batteries are concentrated,’ and pledged, ‘We will communicate closely with field experts such as researchers and companies to complete a roadmap with real executive power, and pool national capabilities to support our companies and researchers so they can compete with confidence on the global stage.’
This mission draws attention for laying the technological foundation to fill labor gaps in areas such as the manufacturing floor, care work and disaster response, at a time when a shrinking workforce is becoming a reality amid low birth rates and an aging population. If world-class manufacturing capabilities and AI prowess translate into actual industries and everyday services, the benefits felt by the public are expected to grow as well. The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to supplement and refine the draft roadmap by incorporating the on-the-ground opinions raised at the meeting, and, after consultations with relevant ministries, to put it on the agenda of the Science and Technology-Related Ministers’ Meeting next month for final confirmation and announcement.
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