Seoul City Leads 4th Industrial Revolution, Moves to Attract 'National Robot Test Field' in Magok

Proposal to Provide Prime Sites within Magok Industrial Complex with Convenient Accessibility and Abundant Backward Demand

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 1st that it has submitted a bid plan to attract the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s ‘National Robot Test Field’ innovation project to the ‘Magok R&D Industrial Complex.’

The ‘National Robot Test Field’ innovation project aims to enhance the competitiveness of the service robot industry and strengthen innovative technological capabilities. From 2023 to 2029, a total project cost of 300 billion KRW, including 230 billion KRW in national funding, will be invested. The project involves establishing a real-environment verification base and certification institution for robots, including infrastructure for service robot verification in various fields such as logistics, autonomous driving, quarantine, parking, and medical services, as well as a metadata center and common technology development.

According to statistics from the Korea Robot Industry Association, there are 192 specialized service robot companies located in the metropolitan area, accounting for 64% of the national total, with 73 companies (24%) based in Seoul. Additionally, the production value of specialized service robots in the metropolitan area is 179.4 billion KRW, representing 72% of the national total, with Seoul’s share at 85.7 billion KRW (34%).

Considering the abundant demand base in the specialized service robot sector, Seoul proposed an 85,479㎡ prime site (appraised value of 700 billion KRW) within the ‘Magok R&D Industrial Complex,’ which houses 532 ICT companies, as the site for the National Robot Test Field. Accessibility and demand base are crucial for the efficient utilization of service robot-related infrastructure, and the Magok district in Seoul fulfills both these advantages as a strategic hub.

Seoul also emphasized its strengths in having clusters of Internet of Things (IoT), AI, and bio-industry, which can foster collaboration across various industries, and highlighted that core R&D laboratories in the robotics field are concentrated in the Yangjae and Magok areas.

While attracting this Robot Test Field innovation project, Seoul is also considering groundbreaking development plans for the national robot industry alongside regional coexistence. Seoul plans to leverage its excellent research personnel to promote robot R&D and collaborate with international research institutions, while other regions will focus on mass production of researched robots to create employment. This division of roles aims to create opportunities for cooperation and coexistence between other provinces and companies, as well as opportunities for balanced national development.

Hwang Bo-yeon, Director of Economic Policy at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, expressed strong determination regarding the bid, stating, “The city has decided to provide the prime location of Magok to attract the National Robot Test Field and is consolidating Seoul’s existing experience in operating clusters for artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, big data, and bio-industry.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.