Gyeongsan selected for government's 2026 Robot Flagship Regional Hub program

Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, has been selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's 2026 Robot Flagship Regional Hub Development Program, securing total project funding of 1.9 billion won ($1.32 million), including 950 million won in national government grants, the city announced Monday. The city will now move forward with its "AI Factory Robot-Based Autonomous Manufacturing Demonstration Hub" initiative.

The project will be led by the Gyeongbuk IT Convergence Industry Technology Institute, with the Korea Textile Machinery Convergence Research Institute participating as a partner.

At the institute's main campus, a remote autonomous manufacturing control system based on AI factory robots will be built, along with a user experience center.

The hub will be linked to Gyeongsan's flagship AI infrastructure — the Hyper-Scale AI Cloud Farm Center — to create a real-time robot control environment and a digital twin-based simulation platform, helping companies verify autonomous manufacturing technologies before deployment.

An exhibition and hands-on experience space will also operate, allowing industry professionals and residents to explore how advanced manufacturing robots work and how they are applied, with the aim of raising public understanding of the robotics industry.

At the Korea Textile Machinery Convergence Research Institute, an open testbed will be established where companies can test and validate advanced robot systems in an environment closely mirroring actual industrial settings.

Collaborative and manufacturing robots optimized for welding and press processes will be deployed, enabling companies to comprehensively assess performance, productivity and on-site applicability before committing to robot adoption.

"This selection goes beyond simply spreading the use of robots — it will serve as the starting point for a fundamental transformation of the region's manufacturing industry," Gyeongsan Mayor Jo Hyeon-il said.