At Robo World 2026, that ambition took the form of a robot built to sit on the sofa.
Chinese brands have already worked their way onto Korean roads and into Korean homes. Now they are moving closer to the people inside.
BYD registered 21,731 cars in South Korea from January to October, up 473.2 percent from a year earlier, making it the No. 4 imported brand behind Tesla, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.
At the robot show, which opened Wednesday at KINTEX in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, Chinese machines were already performing to a Korean soundtrack.
Three Unitree G1 humanoids danced in step to "Abracadabra" by K-pop group Brown Eyed Girls. Nearby, a father and child gently lobbed balls across a ping-pong table to another Unitree humanoid, which returned them with no operator in sight.
Unitree appeared with Korean partner Roas, while AgiBot teamed up with IL Robotics. An AgiBot X2 humanoid mirrored the movements of a visitor wearing a VR headset and holding controllers. Three more robots danced together nearby.
At UBTech's booth, a U1 Pro stood in a pale-pink gown, chatting in Chinese. Its silicone skin felt cool to the touch but firm enough to conceal the metal frame beneath.
The U1 Pro is designed for companionship at home, rather than appearances at weddings or conventions, said Macy Wai, sales director at UBTech's overseas sales center. Asked whether that meant a robot girlfriend, Wai broke into a broad grin.
UBTech launched the U1 series in Shenzhen in June under its consumer brand UWORLD. It sells the Pro only to adults.
Wai said it should speak Korean next month as UBTech and its local partner, Polaris AI, prepare to begin sales in the country. The company may switch to ChatGPT or another model for the Korean market after consulting its partners.
Wai put the price at about $30,000 for the Pro and $90,000 for the Ultra, a version that can walk and dance but did not make the trip.
"We will update more and more," she said. UBTech said it had collected 13,361 pre-orders before the June launch.
The body could arrive from China. Making it familiar enough to share a Korean living room would take more local work.
Pygmalion carved his statue and waited for a goddess to bring her to life. UBTech has built the body and is leaving the voice to whichever model speaks the local language best.
AJP Takeaways
- UBTech showed its U1 Pro companion humanoid at Robo World 2026 in Goyang on Nov. 4 and plans to add Korean-language conversation as early as December with local partner Polaris AI.
- BYD registered 21,731 cars in South Korea from January to October 2026, up 473.2 percent from a year earlier, making it the fourth-largest imported brand, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.
- China installed 354,000 industrial robots in 2025, 59 percent of the global total, according to the International Federation of Robotics.
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