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[Journalism Internship] Korea impresses the world at CES 2026. But China is one step ahead

Published: 24 Feb. 2026, 17:48

EVAN KIM, LUMI LEE, JI-HO LUKE CHANG, SOI PARK

People pass an LG Electronics display during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 6, in Las Vegas. [AP/YONHAP]

“The technological gap with us was invisible. Competition is inevitable. It’s time to consider what we should focus on and choose,” Yoon Ji-woong, director of the Science and Technology Policy Institute, told The Chosun Daily, when speaking about China and Korea’s technological achievements at CES.

Korean companies came in large numbers to present their AI-powered consumer electronics and won awards, proving their prowess at the annual Las Vegas event, this year running from Jan. 6 to 9. But Chinese companies did the same with highly innovative robotics, a sector Korea is lacking in.

Market analyst Omdia states that the Chinese TV market was 24.4 percent in 2020, but in 2023 it was 29.6 percent, overcoming 30 percent for the first time in 2024. On the other hand, Korea’s market share came from 33.4 percent in 2020 to 29.8 percent in 2023.

Korea’s outstanding technological progress

Visitors look at Samsung Electronics’ exhibition at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the CES tech show on Jan. 6. [NEWS1]

At CES 2026, Korea demonstrated its technological dominance by sweeping 15 out of 30 Best of Innovations awards and 168 out of 284 Innovation Awards announced by CES organizers.

Since last year, 2025, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have been working and developing the use of AI in their AI home technologies that are able to make autonomous decisions to make our living at home more convenient.

This year, at CES, Samsung revealed its focus on expanding the capabilities of its TVs beyond entertainment to even enabling home integration and better engagement through next-generation AI.

During the Deep Dive session at CES 2026, Kim Cheol-gi, the head of Samsung's Digital Appliance division, announced that “Samsung’s ultimate goal is to enable a better living through Bespoke AI,” and eventually evolve the devices into “Home Companions” that could adapt to people’s daily lives.

Startups' performance in CES 2026 and its possibility

Visitors walk near a booth for Korean startups at the CES tech show is set up at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 7. [YONHAP]

At CES 2026, Korean startups also demonstrated their capabilities. Of the 15 best innovation awards Korea received, 10 were awarded to products from small companies.
The potential of Korean startups was also shown in the AI portion of the CES 2026 awards. Of the three best innovation awards, all were awarded to Korean companies, with two being startups.

Deep-fusion AI proposed the Real-time Attention-based Pillar Architecture for 4D Radar Perception, an advanced software-defined AI perception engine that can overcome traditional radar limitations.

CT5 proposed Zone HSS1, “A wearable AI interface for generative large multimodal models, engineered to overcome the limits of traditional smart glasses in battery life, multiuser support, and privacy,” as stated on the CES official website.

NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang told Arirang news, “There's no question in my mind that Korea will build many more AI factories here, not just for the Korean industry, but also because Korea has a chance to be an AI hub for the region, and it has the ability to attract startups that are in other countries to be hosted on a Korea AI Cloud.”

As expectations for Korea’s growth rise, not only major corporations and conglomerate groups but also startups are expected to expand. To support this momentum, the Korean government has introduced multiple policies aimed at fostering startup growth and creating a more favorable business environment.

Rising technology of China

A RockMow X1 series robotic lawn mower by Roborock travels on a course during CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 7. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

At CES 2026, Chinese technology company Roborock, which produces robotic vacuum cleaners, also showed off its technological progress by releasing a new model, the Saros Rover. According to KBS News, based on their research, Roborock robot cleaner had a market share of 49.2 percent, while Samsung had 24 percent in Korea in the third quarter of last year.

This new model has two-wheel legs, allowing it to climb up the stairs while cleaning surfaces, adding a new element to a sector where Korean firms are losing domestic market share.

Another Chinese robot company, Dreame, on that same day, set up its booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center and introduced a robot vacuum cleaner, the CyberX. It contained four legs with continuous tracks, allowing it to climb the stairs safely.

Dreame representative Michael Hernandez announced at CES, “As of now, stairs are no longer a problem... [with the ability to] indicate and actually recognize multiple different types of stairs, doesn’t matter if it’s straight stairs or curved stairs up to 49 degrees.”

In the SBS interview at CES, Samsung and LG sources said, “Buy Roborock, I also use it,” alluding to how the technology on Chinese robot vacuum cleaners is outweighing Korean products.

Analysts point to the Chinese brands’ lower price points as their biggest advantage over Korean companies.

“It’s not that Korean manufacturers are falling behind Chinese companies in terms of technology, but Chinese brands pay close attention to even the smallest details from the consumer’s perspective. As this adds up, word spreads among consumers that the products are convenient and good to use,” an industry insider told the JoongAng Daily.

Korea and China’s different paths

The X60 robot vacuum sits inside the Cyber X robot while on display at the Dreame booth during the CES tech show on Jan. 7, in Las Vegas. [AP/YONHAP]

In CES 2026, it became clear that China and Korea’s strategies in approaching technology were different. Chinese robots caught everyone’s attention with their realistic, smooth, humanlike movements, which are fit for “exhibition stages”.

On the other hand, Korea took a different approach and focused on the practical use of the robots and designed them for factory use, according to KMJ Journal.

Experts pinpoint the reason China is developing extremely fast over the recent years: According to SBS News, Chun Young-min, a Roborock representative, said, “China has more ability to try out new technology due to its large market, so companies can invest more in research and development and they tend to be more ‘open’ to new technologies.”

Because of the large market and labor force, there are companies that only focus on certain products.

However, it doesn’t mean that Korean products will always be pushed back by Chinese companies. In a KBS News interview, Lee Gyong-Joon, general manager of the Korea Administration of Robot Industry, said, “Because domestic robots operate in living rooms and bedrooms, there are significant privacy concerns if security is not maintained; Korean companies must approach it with a competitive edge in that area.”

Kim Tae-yoon, the head of the foundation model office at SK Telecom, told CNBC, “Korea has many entities that would excel at creating a big AI industry. And we could clearly see the possibility.”

BY EVAN KIM, LUMI LEE, JI-HO LUKE CHANG, SOI PARK

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[Journalism Internship] Korea impresses the world at CES 2026. But China is one step ahead

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