South Korea’s Humanoid Robot Patent Share Falls as China Extends Lead

South Korea is losing ground in the global race to secure humanoid robot technology, as new patent data shows China widening its lead in a field expected to shape manufacturing, logistics and services.

China accounted for 60.8 percent of humanoid robot patents across the five major intellectual property offices, known collectively as IP5, as of the first half of 2026. The United States held 21.8 percent, while South Korea’s share stood at 4.6 percent. China’s portion was up from 51.8 percent in 2024, while South Korea’s declined from 6.3 percent and the US share fell from 27.3 percent.

The difference was also visible in the volume of recent applications. China filed 1,584 applications in the first six months of this year, compared with 113 from the United States and 35 from South Korea. In 2025, the respective totals were 2,573, 640 and 97. The intellectual property authority cautioned that the latest figures are provisional because patent applications are generally published after an 18-month delay.

China held an even larger advantage in robot foundation models, the artificial intelligence systems trained on varied datasets that allow robots to learn and carry out new tasks without being programmed separately for each one. China represented 66.3 percent of IP5 patents in that area, ahead of the United States at 14.1 percent and South Korea at 8.8 percent.

Patent totals do not by themselves prove that one country has superior technology. However, separate assessments by the Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning indicated that South Korea has also slipped behind China in important robotics capabilities. With the United States set as a benchmark score of 100, South Korea’s score for advanced autonomous manipulation fell from 85 in 2022 to 80 in 2024, while China’s rose from 79 to 90. In human-robot interaction, South Korea moved from a narrow lead over China in 2022 to a 10-point deficit in 2024.

The trend has raised concern that Korean robot manufacturers could become increasingly dependent on foreign technology and face higher royalty costs. Rep. Lee Jeong-heon called for an overhaul of national research investment and intellectual property strategy, warning that delays in artificial intelligence and robotics innovation could create a lasting gap.

Industry observers also point to China’s integrated supply chain as a major advantage. Its network spans components, robot assembly and AI software, helping manufacturers reduce costs and speed development. South Korean companies, by contrast, face challenges in producing critical hardware domestically and obtaining sufficient training data for robots that operate in the physical world.

Closing the gap is therefore likely to require more than increasing patent filings. South Korea will need stronger core technologies, locally produced components, scalable manufacturing and coordinated access to high-quality robotics data if it is to compete effectively in the emerging humanoid market.