TLDRs;
- Kakao Mobility introduces South Korea’s first robot valet parking service in Cheongju, using HL Robotics’ Parkie robot.
- The service lifts and parks cars autonomously after drivers register via kiosk, offering hands-free convenience.
- Legal frameworks still limit rollout to marked “robot zones,” pending national parking law reforms by 2030.
- The move positions Korea’s parking tech industry for a piece of the $12 billion global market.
Kakao Mobility, South Korea’s leading mobility platform operator, has launched the country’s first robot valet parking service at the Chungbuk Content Enterprise Promotion Center in Cheongju.
The pilot project is being conducted in partnership with HL Robotics, North Chungcheong Province, and the Chungbuk Innovation Institute of Science & Technology, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s move toward smart, autonomous infrastructure.
The new system uses HL Robotics’ Parkie robot, an intelligent parking robot capable of autonomously lifting and transporting vehicles to assigned spaces. After drivers register their cars at a kiosk and leave them in a designated area, Parkie automatically handles the rest, optimizing parking space use while eliminating the hassle of manual parking.
Once drivers are ready to leave, they can request their car through a link sent via KakaoTalk, the company’s popular messaging app. The system then notifies them when the vehicle is ready for pickup.
For now, the pilot is limited to registered employees at the facility, but Kakao Mobility plans to expand the service’s reach once initial testing and regulatory reviews are complete.
Regulatory Challenges Slow Wider Adoption
While the technology behind Kakao’s robot valet is ready for real-world deployment, current parking laws pose significant constraints. Under existing regulations, robot valets are classified as mechanical parking facilities, which means they require a dedicated valet robot zone rather than being allowed to operate freely in public parking areas.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), revisions to the Parking Lot Act are expected around 2030, potentially easing restrictions for autonomous parking and driving technologies. Until then, commercial applications of such systems remain limited to controlled, private environments like the Cheongju test site.
This legal lag underscores a common challenge faced by innovators in the robotics and mobility industries, technology often evolves faster than the regulatory frameworks governing it.
Korea Eyes Slice of Global Parking Tech Market
Despite the hurdles, South Korea’s parking automation sector is positioning itself for global opportunity. Analysts project the global parking management system market could reach $12.16 billion by 2034, with East Asia accounting for 38.4% of total revenue.
Within that, off-street parking solutions, like Kakao Mobility’s robot valet, are expected to dominate, growing to $9.47 billion by the same year. This opens the door for Korean companies to partner with global parking operators and tech vendors to retrofit existing lots with IoT sensors, AI-powered analytics, and automation systems.
Moreover, the shift toward cloud-based parking-as-a-service (PaaS) is projected to reduce operating costs for parking facilities by up to 60%, making robotic solutions economically attractive ahead of policy reforms.
Mobility Ecosystem in Motion
The Cheongju pilot comes on the heels of Kakao Mobility’s broader diversification strategy. Just last month, the company intensified its rivalry with Uber by launching Kakao T Members, a paid membership program offering ride-hailing discounts and parking perks.
Taken together, these moves reflect Kakao Mobility’s ambition to expand beyond ride-hailing into an integrated mobility ecosystem encompassing AI, robotics, and automation.
By aligning its innovations with emerging regulatory shifts, Kakao Mobility aims to cement its place as a frontrunner in South Korea’s transition toward smarter, autonomous transportation systems.
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