Issue A three-stage Korea-Japan humanoid robot partnership toward 2050

Summary

Comparing the two countries' medium- to long-term national strategies and mission-oriented R&D programs, the report identifies humanoid robots as a promising field for Korea-Japan cooperation. Japan's industrial robot technology in core components and products complements Korea's AI and software capabilities, and both countries share demand in medical care, nursing and services arising from ageing and labor shortages. The report proposes organizing the partnership in three stages toward 2050, built around technology cooperation and market and application cooperation. It would proceed through open innovation involving all innovation actors in both countries and take an integrated approach that weighs social acceptance, economic sustainability and ethics alongside technical solutions. The aim is to spread tailored technologies and systems to Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, creating an innovation model that could become a new paradigm for Korea-Japan relations.