BUSAN — Elementary, middle and high school robotics students from across South Korea will gather in Busan to compete for spots on the world stage.
The Busan Metropolitan Office of Education said on the 1st that it will hold the 2027 Robot National Qualifier on Nov. 28 at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center (BPEX). The event serves as the official Korean qualifier for the 2027 ROBOFEST World Championship, to be held in South Korea next year. Winning teams in each event will receive a berth at the world championship along with at least three rounds of tailored consulting.
Participation is free and open to elementary, middle and high school students nationwide. Applications will be accepted from the 1st through the 16th of next month on the event's dedicated website. The competition is divided into a junior division for students from fifth grade through eighth grade and a senior division for those from ninth grade through 11th grade, with eight events including games, exhibitions and the Unknown Mission Challenge (UMC).
ROBOFEST is an international youth robotics competition that began in 1999 at Lawrence Technological University (LTU) in the United States and has since drawn more than 38,700 participants from 39 countries. The 2027 World Championship carries added weight for the Korean qualifier because it will be the first held outside the United States.
The Busan education office said it plans to use the competition to expand robotics and artificial intelligence education and to give students opportunities to demonstrate their skills on an international stage.
"I hope students will grow into global talent for the future based on their interest in physical AI," Superintendent Kim Seok-joon said. "We will broaden the foundation of robotics and AI education to deliver human-centered future education that leads the AI era."
