Hyundai Motor Union: "Not a Single Atlas Humanoid Allowed Without Agreement"

The Hyundai Motor labor union has raised concerns over the deployment of Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot ‘Atlas’ at production sites, warning that its introduction could cause a shock to employment. The union insisted, “Not a single unit can be brought in without labor-management agreement.”

Yonhap News Agency

There is growing analysis that labor-management conflict is becoming a reality over Hyundai Motor Group’s plan to introduce Atlas into key production processes, starting with the dedicated electric vehicle plant Metaplant America (HMGMA) in the United States in 2028.

The Hyundai Motor branch of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union issued a statement on January 22, declaring, “No matter the circumstances, the deployment of Atlas is unwelcome from the workers’ perspective.”

The union further emphasized, “If you employ three workers with an annual salary of 100 million won each, the labor cost is 300 million won, but with robots, only maintenance costs are incurred after the initial purchase, which serves as a convenient justification for capitalists seeking to maximize profit. Without labor-management agreement, not a single robot can enter the workplace.” Regarding Hyundai Motor’s recent rise to the third-largest market capitalization in Korea, attributed to its revaluation as a ‘physical AI’ company thanks to Atlas, the union commented, “We don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

Earlier this month, Hyundai Motor Group unveiled Atlas at CES 2026, the world’s largest electronics and IT exhibition held in Las Vegas, and announced plans to deploy Atlas in the parts sorting process at HMGMA in Georgia, USA, in 2028. The financial sector estimates the price of Atlas to be around 130,000 dollars (approximately 200 million won).

Jang Jaehoon, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, addressed concerns about job losses due to robot adoption at a CES 2026 press conference on January 5 (local time), stating, “We plan to deploy productive robots for dangerous and repetitive undesirable tasks,” and added, “The introduction of robots will create new types of work related to them.”