First integrated law for mobile robot pilot programs and commercialization
Establishes basis for regulatory exemptions, fiscal support and safety management
Pushes to designate 'mobile robot promotion zones'
"Iksan to become a hub for future industries"
A bill has been submitted to the National Assembly to provide integrated support — from pilot programs and commercialization to safety management — for mobile robots used in everyday and industrial settings such as delivery, security, parking and construction.
Han Byung-do, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said Thursday he had introduced the Special Act on the Safe Use and Commercialization Promotion of Mobile Robots, known as the Robot Special Act.
Mobile robots, which rely on advanced technologies including autonomous driving and AI to carry out a wide range of tasks, represent an emerging future industry. While conventional industrial robots have been confined largely to production lines, mobile robots are expanding into everyday spaces — apartment complexes, buildings, construction sites and parking facilities.
Current regulations, however, remain focused on product-centered industrial promotion, covering areas such as robot technology development, certification and distribution. Rules governing the actual use of mobile robots are scattered across the Building Act, the Multi-Family Housing Management Act and the Personal Information Protection Act, prompting calls for a unified regulatory framework to support commercialization and safe operation.
The special act lays the groundwork for establishing a five-year basic plan for mobile robot commercialization and creating a Mobile Robot Policy Committee. It also provides the legal basis for designating mobile robot promotion zones, running pilot projects with regulatory exemptions and fiscal support, conducting rapid regulatory reviews within 30 days, granting pilot exemptions and provisional licenses, building spatial data infrastructure for robot navigation, and certifying robot-friendly buildings.
The bill also establishes a safety management framework. It calls for setting operational standards by sector, making liability insurance mandatory and creating a Mobile Robot Accident Investigation Committee.
Areas designated as mobile robot promotion zones would receive priority access to pilot projects and regulatory exemptions, along with fiscal support for related projects, improvements to the robot operating environment and assistance in building spatial data infrastructure. The aim is to create a mobile robot industry ecosystem that links technology demonstration, commercialization and corporate investment at the regional level.
"Robots have already left the factory and are entering every corner of people's daily lives and industrial workplaces, yet our regulatory system is still stuck in the factory era," Han said. "We will build an integrated regulatory framework that gives businesses a predictable operating environment and guarantees safety and convenience for the public."
He added that he would actively push for Iksan to be designated a mobile robot promotion zone that leads the way in demonstrating and commercializing mobile robot technology, and vowed to develop the city into "a hub for future industries where related companies and talent converge."
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