Buy, Build or Partner: How Korea's Big Groups Are Assembling the Robot Industry
Updated: Oct 24
Korea has the highest density of industrial robots in the world, and its largest companies now want to own the next generation: humanoids, service robots and the software that runs them. But they are not all doing it the same way.
We mapped the major deals since 2018. Three playbooks stand out: buy outright, buy step by step, and build a portfolio. And in between the robot makers, a new layer of Korean software companies is emerging.
1. Hyundai: buy the leader
Hyundai Motor Group took the boldest route. In June 2021, it acquired 80% of Boston Dynamics at a valuation of about US$1.1 billion, with SoftBank keeping 20%. In July 2026, after SoftBank exercised its put option, Hyundai agreed to buy SoftBank's remaining stake.
The logic is simple: Hyundai bought the most famous robot company in the world and made its own car plants the first customer. Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoids are scheduled to start work in Hyundai's Georgia plant in 2028.
2. Samsung: step by step
Samsung Electronics moved more cautiously. In early 2023, it bought just under 15% of Rainbow Robotics, a humanoid spin-off from KAIST, for about KRW 87 billion (about US$65 million), and secured a call option on more shares. On December 31, 2024, it exercised part of that option for about KRW 267 billion (about US$200 million), raising its stake to 35% and becoming the largest shareholder.
At the same time, Samsung set up a Future Robotics Office reporting to the CEO, led by Rainbow's founder, KAIST professor Oh Jun-ho. In 2026 it added a robotics business unit, and Rainbow's RB-Y1 humanoid has been supplied to Coupang logistics centers. Samsung also invests outside Korea, including in the US robot foundation model company Skild AI.
3. LG: build a portfolio
LG has spread its bets. It took about 10% of Robotis, a maker of robot actuators and educational robots, in 2018, and was an early investor in Angel Robotics, a wearable robot company. In 2024 it invested US$60 million in Bear Robotics, a Silicon Valley serving-robot company, and took control in 2025.
Its venture arm, LG Technology Ventures, has backed US humanoid and robot AI companies such as Figure AI and Skild AI, and LG CNS invested in US robot maker Dexmate in 2026. Meanwhile, LG is building its own actuators and humanoids at home, as we covered in our LG post.
4. Clobot: the software in the middle
Not every important Korean robot company makes robots. Clobot, a 2017 spin-off from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), makes software that lets robots from different makers move and work together. Its CHAMELEON platform handles autonomous navigation, and CROMS manages mixed fleets of robots.
That neutral position has made Clobot a partner to almost every camp. Hyundai Motor Group put seed money into Clobot in 2018 through its open innovation arm ZER01NE, and the ties have deepened since. At the end of 2024, Clobot signed a contract to supply a Hyundai manufacturing plant with a patrol solution built on Spot, the four-legged robot from Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics, running Clobot's navigation and control software. In other words, Hyundai bought the robot maker, and a Korean software company makes the robot useful on Hyundai's own factory floor.
Clobot works with more than 20 robot makers, including Boston Dynamics and Unitree, and signed a business agreement with Samsung-backed Rainbow Robotics in 2025. Its CHAMELEON software has been supplied to more than 100 companies, including Hyundai and SK hynix, and it built a multi-robot control system at Incheon Airport with LG CNS. Lotte's accelerator was another early investor. Clobot listed on KOSDAQ in October 2024 at KRW 13,000 (about US$10) a share, with retail demand more than 1,000 times the shares offered.
Hyundai is also building robot integration inside the group. In October 2026, its IT affiliate Hyundai AutoEver unveiled a security patrol service using MobED, a mobile robot platform from Hyundai and Kia's Robotics Lab, and now calls itself a robot system integrator. For Clobot, the Hyundai group is both an early backer and a customer, and increasingly a capable in-house player.
In 2026 Clobot shifted from software to scale. It agreed in June to acquire Doosan Logistics Solution, Doosan's warehouse automation business, for KRW 68.5 billion (about US$52 million), and raised new capital through a large rights issue to fund the deal and overseas expansion, including a North American subsidiary. Its hardware sourcing subsidiary, ROAS, had already won a US$6 million logistics automation project in North America. Some early strategic investors have started to sell down, a normal step after a listing.
5. The rest of the field
Doosan Robotics, a collaborative robot maker, listed in 2023 and bought US integrator ONExia in 2025 after two attempts to merge with Doosan Bobcat were withdrawn. HD Hyundai Robotics raised KRW 180 billion (about US$135 million) before a planned IPO, at a valuation of about KRW 1.8 trillion (about US$1.35 billion). Hanwha spun off Hanwha Robotics in 2023.
The government is also pushing. In April 2025, the trade ministry launched the K-Humanoid Alliance with about 40 companies, universities and research institutes, aiming to build a shared robot AI model by 2028.
What this means for startups, investors and EDOs
Korean strategic money is real, and structured. Minority stakes with call options, as in Samsung–Rainbow and LG–Bear, are a common route to control. Founders should expect deal terms that leave room for a later takeover.
US companies are part of the plan. Bear Robotics, ONExia, Figure AI, Skild AI and Dexmate all show Korean groups buying or backing US robotics firms. These subsidiaries often become the base for further US expansion, which matters for economic development organizations.
Software and integration are the gaps. Korea has hardware makers and big buyers. Fleet software, integration, safety and training data are where outside partners, and companies like Clobot, find room.
Watch the listings. HD Hyundai Robotics, Bear Robotics and others are heading toward the public markets. Listings change investor priorities and often bring new partnership and M&A activity.
The bottom line
Korea's robot industry is being assembled by a handful of groups, each with its own playbook. Hyundai bought the leader, Samsung climbed step by step, and LG built a portfolio. For outside companies, the question is not whether Korean capital is interested in robotics, but which door, and which deal structure, fits best.
If you are a robotics company, an investor or an economic development organization looking to work with Korean groups, we would be glad to help. Contact us at info@globalrika.com.
About the data
Deal figures are from company announcements, regulatory filings and Korean media reports through October 2026. Stake percentages can change with later share issues and should be checked against the latest filings. Some transactions, such as the Boston Dynamics stake purchase and the Doosan Logistics Solution acquisition, were pending at the time of the cited reports. US dollar figures are approximate, converted at about KRW 1,330 per dollar.
Sources
Hyundai Motor Group newsroom and Bloomberg, Boston Dynamics deals (2021, July 2026)
Etoday, Smart Today and News Tomato, Samsung–Rainbow Robotics stake (2023–2025)
LG newsroom and Newsis, Bear Robotics investment and control (2024–2025)
Hankyung, LG's robot portfolio and Bear Robotics stake (September 2026)
Robot Newspaper (irobotnews), Clobot company profile (November 2025) and Doosan Logistics Solution agreement (June 2026)
Financial News, Hyundai AutoEver robot patrol solution (October 22, 2026)
Money Today, Clobot rights issue and investor sales (April 2026)
The Bell, HD Hyundai Robotics pre-IPO round (2025–2026)
ZDNet Korea, K-Humanoid Alliance launch (April 2025)
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