South Korea to Build Robot Cities by 2013

The South Korean government plans to build two robot-themed parks close to Seoul—one in the bustling seaport of Incheon and another in Masan—by the year 2013.

The megaproject—the first of its kind on the planet—is estimated to cost a whopping $1.6 billion, and will feature an array of robotic marvels allowing visitors to interact with tomorrow’s machines.

According to reports published on the web site Korea.net, the two cities are being developed as futuristic hubs, poised to become the country’s Silicon Valley of robotics.

Robotics is considered to be one of South Korea’s booming industries and it has grown by leaps and bounds over the past five years—recording a 40 percent jump since the year 2003, the site reported.

To ensure that the robotics sector continues to see such growth rates, recently, the government drew up what is known as the Robot Ethics Code—a code of ethics that will prevent android abuse by humans as well as the other way round.