Four robot-related companies' stocks jump 155% on average this year due to physical AI boom

Four robot-related companies listed on Korea's main bourse have seen their shares jump 155 percent on average this year amid a global boom in the physical AI industry, data showed on Wednesday.

The data, compiled by the Korea Exchange, covered robot-related large-cap stocks, each with a market capitalization of at least 50 trillion won ($32.9 billion) as of Tuesday: Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis, Kia and LG Electronics.

By company, LG Electronics' shares closed at 392,500 won on Tuesday, surging more than fourfold from 91,400 won on the first trading day of this year.

While LG Electronics' business portfolio mainly focuses on home appliances, the Korean tech giant has recently set its sights on the humanoid robot industry, unveiling a new robot, CLOiD, during CES 2026.

Shares of Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis and Kia rose 144 percent, 105 percent and 40 percent, respectively, on growing market expectations for Atlas, a humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group.

On Monday, Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, cited robotics as a potential area of investment in Korea ahead of his visit to the country later this week, further fueling hopes for additional gains in local robot shares.

Analysts said investors are expected to closely watch major events slated for the second half of the year, including the launch of a third-generation humanoid robot by EV giant Tesla.

Yonhap