Robotics stocks, which have emerged as new leaders in the domestic stock market alongside artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors, jumped more than 150% this year.
According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on the 3rd, among large-cap stocks with a market capitalization of 50 trillion won or more on the main board, the average share-price gain this year for LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis, and Kia, which have momentum in the robotics industry, came to 155%.
LG Electronics was the most outstanding gainer. Based on the closing price on the 2nd, LG Electronics soared from 91,400 won at the start of the year to 392,500 won, up 329%. This year alone, it hit the daily upper price limit three times, on May 21 and May 29 and on June 1.
Beyond its existing core home appliance business, LG Electronics is expanding into robotics, led by its logistics robot "CLOi CarryBot" and home robot "CLOi-D." It is also seen as positive for the stock that the company began developing its own physical AI model based on Nvidia's general-purpose humanoid inference model "Isaac GROOT."
Affiliates of Hyundai Motor Group also stood out. Hyundai Motor rose 144% this year, while Hyundai Mobis and Kia gained 105% and 40%, respectively. Hyundai Motor and Kia are seen as reflecting expectations for the Robotics subsidiary Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot "Atlas." Hyundai Mobis is drawing attention as a key parts supplier for Atlas.
Small and mid-sized and specialized robotics corporations are also strong. Doosan Robotics on the KOSPI jumped 107% from the start of the year, the steepest rise. On the KOSDAQ, Rainbow Robotics and ROBOTIS also climbed 54% and 50%, respectively.
The strength of robotics stocks is tied to expectations for Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's visit to Korea scheduled for the evening of the 4th.
Earlier, Huang said, "I hope Nvidia can also contribute to the development of Robotics in Korea."
In the securities industry, there is an expectation that major global events that could power gains in robotics stocks will continue in the second half of this year.
Hyundai Motor plans to operate the Robot Metaplant Application Center (RMAC), a training program to deploy Humanoid Robots, during the third quarter.
U.S. Tesla also signaled it will unveil the third-generation (V3) model of its Humanoid Robot "Optimus" this summer. Tesla said it could secure annual production capacity of 1 million units by year-end, heightening expectations for commercialization. In the Asian market, the first Humanoid Robot corporation is set to list on the Chinese stock market.