Hyundai has denied that its plans to deploy humanoid robots are part of ongoing negotiations with striking workers at its South Korean plant, disputing reports that the industrial action was driven by fears over automation. The company says the union's demands centre on pay-related issues, including wage increases, bonuses and a later retirement age, and insists that discussions about deploying robots at Korean facilities are not currently on the table. The dispute matters because it touches on wider anxieties across South Korea's labour movement about job security as companies adopt AI and robotics.

Hyundai says its concrete robot plans are limited to deploying its Atlas humanoid robot, built by its subsidiary Boston Dynamics, at the Metaplant America electric vehicle factory near Savannah, Georgia, from 2028, with any wider rollout to be discussed with affected workforces. However, the Wall Street Journal reported the union is pushing "unprecedented" job-protection demands linked to AI and automation, and the union previously warned Hyundai that no robot could enter the workplace without a labour-management agreement. Hyundai and the union are reviewing a wage reform that would convert overtime and night-shift pay into fixed wages, though experts warn this could hit productivity. The strikes come amid a broader wave of South Korean labour disputes since a new "yellow envelope" law took effect in March 2026, which expands worker protections and requires automation decisions affecting working conditions to be collectively bargained.