Oh Appointed as 12th President of the Korea AI and Robotics Industry Association
"Appointment of Samsung Electronics as Chair Company Reflects Expectations"
Cultivating Robotics Talent, Discovering R&D Projects, and More
Oh Junho, head of Samsung Electronics' Future Robot Promotion Task Force, has been appointed as the 12th president of the Korea AI and Robotics Industry Association.
Oh assumed the presidency of the Korea AI and Robotics Industry Association at the "2026 Regular General Meeting" held on the 25th at El Tower in Yangjae, Seocho-gu, Seoul. He was elected as the new president, succeeding former president Kim Jino, the 11th president.
In his inaugural address, the new president Oh said, "China currently has overwhelming production capacity and is producing robots, and the United States has overwhelming artificial intelligence (AI) technology," adding, "However, if we can catch up through innovation and challenge, it will not be long before we become one of the pillars of technology and enter the top tier (leading group)."
He continued, "The decision to appoint Samsung Electronics as the chair company reflects expectations that it will lead the robot industry with a strong sense of responsibility," and added, "With a sense of responsibility, I will do my best to ensure that Korea's robot industry becomes the world's best by maintaining smooth policy communication with the government."
President Oh is a founding member of Rainbow Robotics and the person who created Hubo, Korea's first bipedal humanoid robot. Since early last year, he has been leading Samsung Electronics' Future Robot Promotion Task Force.
Oh Junho, who was appointed the 12th president of the Korea AI & Robotics Industry Association, delivers an inaugural address at E-Tower in Yangjae, Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 25th. Photo by Yonhap News.
The Future Robot Promotion Task Force is an organization under the direct control of the CEO that plays a pivotal role in developing Samsung's future robot technologies, including humanoids.
The Korea AI and Robotics Industry Association also approved agenda items such as the appointment of board members and executives, as well as the 2026 business plan and budget, along with the presidential appointment on this day.
This year, the association plans to focus on: identifying the current state of the industry and discovering research and development (R&D) projects through a fact-finding survey of robot system integration (SI) companies; nurturing talent in the robotics field; an intelligent robot indemnity program; responding to industry trends and conducting standardization activities; and developing domestic and overseas sales channels and expanding the overall market base.
The Korea AI and Robotics Industry Association is the largest robot industry organization in Korea, with 376 member companies, including domestic robot companies and related institutions.
Founded in 1999, the association added "AI" to its former name, the Korea Robotics Industry Association, in the second half of last year, and is engaged in fostering robot- and AI-based industries, proposing policies, and building an industrial ecosystem.
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