South Korea's first-half 2026 venture investment reached a record ₩8.87 trillion ($6.34 billion), up 54.3% from a year earlier and above the previous first-half high of ₩7.64 trillion in 2022. AI-led information and communications technology services attracted ₩1.86 trillion, or 21% of the total, followed by electrical, machinery and equipment at ₩1.54 trillion and bio and medical at ₩1.50 trillion. New venture fund formation rose 33% to ₩8.44 trillion, the second-highest first-half figure on record, with financial institution commitments increasing 54.9% to ₩2.61 trillion. Investment also expanded among companies founded within three years and outside the Seoul metropolitan area, although gaming investment fell 76.3%. The period was marked by growing interest in robotics and physical AI: Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree surged after its Shanghai listing, Korean robotics companies began strengthening sales and finance operations, and AI chips and video datasets were deployed or developed for real-world robot, industrial, public and defense applications.