Cheap Chinese robot waiters worry South Korean tech firms amid labour shortage
- Tech executives are concerned about the business impact from cheap Chinese robots that can cost one-fifth of the price of Korean equivalents
- There are about 5,000 server robots in Korean restaurants amid a nationwide labour shortage, according to industry data
South Korea has embraced robot waiters in restaurants as a response to labour shortages caused in part by a demographic crisis.
Data from the Korean Association of Robot Industry shared with the Financial Times showed there were 5,000 server robots in Korean restaurants.
According to an April report in the Korea Times, one owner placed tablets on every table in his restaurants to eliminate the need for waiters.
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During the pandemic, Reuters reported that South Korean tech company KT Corp started selling “Aglio Kim” – a trolley-like AI robot to restaurants.
It can carry food for as many as four tables on each trip, Lee Young-jin of KT told the news agency.
However, tech executives in South Korea told the Financial Times they are now concerned that the market is being flooded by cheap Chinese robots, stymieing the country’s own robotics makers.
Server technology has become more sophisticated in recent years, moving beyond tablets on tables to fully autonomous robots collecting orders and delivering food.
One Chinese-made serving robot costs 10 million to 30 million won (US$7,500 to US$22,500) – about a fifth of the price of Korean equivalents, the newspaper reported.
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One unnamed executive said they were trying to win the battle with better-quality robots, “but this is not easy”.
Korean companies are looking for ways to compete with cheap Chinese goods more broadly as well. Aju Korea Daily reported in May that South Korean start-ups were offering restaurants robots to rent for 300,000 won a month.
However, some in the industry think subsidies will be needed to compete with Chinese imports.
