South Korea puts the focus on robots and AI with the opening of Smart Tech Korea, a trade show that showcases how Seoul seeks to turn automation into business, investment, and industrial advantage.
The event opened at the COEX exhibition center in Seoul, featuring hundreds of companies focused on robotics, artificial intelligence, and automated manufacturing, in an edition that looks for commercial results rather than just flashy displays. The trade show brings together 620 companies and 1,800 exhibition booths, according to the organizers.
South Korea puts the focus on robots and AI to sell industry
The presence of humanoid robots capable of sorting packages, delivering food, and serving tables reflects the type of solutions that are currently competing for space in factories, retail, and logistics centers. In this context, South Korea puts the focus on robots and AI not just as a trade show trend, but as part of a broader industrial strategy.
Among the new developments of this fifteenth edition, Smart Tech Korea highlighted programs aimed at driving tangible commercial results. The message is clear: the market no longer evaluates only technical demonstrations, but real implementation capability.
What Smart Tech Korea showcases
- Humanoid robots for logistics and services.
- AI solutions for businesses.
- Automated manufacturing tools.
- Negotiation spaces for investment and partnerships.
South Korea puts the focus on robots and AI with support from tech giants
This edition also features companies such as Microsoft, Dell Technologies, and Nvidia, a sign that the South Korean ecosystem continues to attract global players that dominate digital infrastructure. Nvidia recently wrapped up a four-day visit to South Korea, where its CEO, Jensen Huang, announced agreements with SK hynix and Naver to expand AI infrastructure and supply chain component production.
Huang also underlined his company’s interest in so-called physical AI, a field that combines intelligent software with machines capable of acting in the real world. That line aligns with the type of exhibitions seen at COEX and helps explain why South Korea puts the focus on robots and AI with such insistence.
Why this trade show matters
South Korea has made automation an industrial priority due to its manufacturing base, high technological density, and direct competition with other Asian powers. On that board, South Korea puts the focus on robots and AI to accelerate productivity, reduce costs, and position its companies in the next wave of innovation.
With the trade show open until Friday, the sector will seek to close partnerships and contracts at a time when demand for applied robotics and AI continues to grow. For the organizers, the bet is that South Korea puts the focus on robots and AI as an engine for business, not just as a technological showcase.
