Korea begins drafting humanoid safety rules before the state buys 250 robots in 2027

South Korea's robot industry agency KIRIA and other bodies have begun drafting guidelines and test criteria for the safety and performance of humanoid robots and are reviewing a first draft with the ministries involved, Electronic Times (etnews) reported on Oct 18, citing the industry; KIRIA has not posted the work on its own notice board, so the details are unconfirmed.

According to the report, the guideline answers the government plan to buy and deploy about 1,700 robots directly next year and about 5,000 by 2030, including 250 Korean-made humanoids in 2027 for universities and state research institutes, rising to 1,080 by 2030, while the Daegu humanoid safety certification centre is not due to be finished until 2030.

The paper said humanoids are harder to regulate than fixed industrial arms because falls, contact with people, dropped objects and AI misjudgement all have to be assessed, and that the industry does not expect a dedicated international standard before about 2029.

MEKAWIRE reported on Sept 30 that the national plan targets more than 1,700 public robot purchases in 2027, and on March 23 that the government offered up to 9,681 million won over 2026 to 2030 for the Daegu certification centre, which leaves the testing infrastructure about three years behind the first deliveries.