DEPLOYDatabase

Regulation · Operational restriction

South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412)

The 2023 amendment (Act No. 19412) to South Korea's Intelligent Robots Development and Distribution Promotion Act, administered by MOTIE (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy), passed 16 May 2023 and in force 17 November 2023. It grants outdoor mobile robots that obtain operational-safety certification pedestrian legal status, permitting them to travel on sidewalks (Art. 40-2(1)), subject to a safety-certification checklist (incl. traffic-rule compliance) and a damage/liability insurance requirement. This is a genuine robot-operation law authorizing sidewalk delivery robots, paralleling US state PDD laws.

Jurisdiction: South Korea · Effective 2023-11-17

Machine-readable surfaces

Sources (4)

  1. https://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_mobile/viewer.do?hseq=63030&type=part&key=18
  2. https://digitalpolicyalert.org/event/15651-implemented-bill-amending-intelligent-robot-development-and-promotion-act-bill-no-2116941
  3. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/tech-science/20231127/robots-slowly-integrating-into-everyday-life-in-korea
  4. https://www.investkorea.org/ik-en/bbs/i-5025/detail.do?ntt_sn=490797

Status history

  • In effect · 2023-11-17 · editor:DEPLOY content-agent (Sprint 5c-2 Asia regs)

    Korea Intelligent Robots Act 2023 amendment (No. 19412) in force Nov 17, 2023; grants outdoor/sidewalk robots pedestrian status (MOTIE).

Common questions

What does South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412) cover?
The 2023 amendment (Act No. 19412) to South Korea's Intelligent Robots Development and Distribution Promotion Act, administered by MOTIE (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy), passed 16 May 2023 and in force 17 November 2023. It grants outdoor mobile robots that obtain operational-safety certification pedestrian legal status, permitting them to travel on sidewalks (Art. 40-2(1)), subject to a safety-certification checklist (incl. traffic-rule compliance) and a damage/liability insurance requirement. This is a genuine robot-operation law authorizing sidewalk delivery robots, paralleling US state PDD laws.
Where does South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412) apply?
South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412) is recorded as a operational_restriction applying in South Korea on the DEPLOY registry.
When did South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412) take effect?
South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412) is recorded as effective November 17, 2023 on the DEPLOY registry.
Is South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412) still in effect?
South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412) is currently in effect and applies to covered operators in the named jurisdiction.
What types of robots does South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412) apply to?
South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412) is recorded as applying to sidewalk robots on the DEPLOY registry.
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-05-31

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-05-31

Architectural position

Cohort: sidewalk

Sources by quality tier

4
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for South Korea Intelligent Robots Act (2023 amendment; outdoor/sidewalk robots, Act No. 19412).

Canonical ID c9512025-b877-4513-82cf-cae31191a6b9