This undated file photo provided by Woowa Brothers Corp. shows its delivery robot “Dilly” on the streets of Seoul in a pilot project. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – Delivery app Baedal Minjok, or Baemin, said Friday it will deploy delivery robots in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan cities within this year to better serve its customers.
Baemin, under food delivery app owner Woowa Brothers Corp., has recently obtained safety certification for the use of its delivery robot “Dilly” from the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, the company said in a statement.
Baemin will provide delivery services through the Dilly, developed by Woowa Brothers, at a lower price compared to its contracted delivery riders called Baemin riders, a company spokesperson said by phone.
But the company didn’t say how many Dilly robots will be deployed or the exact timeframe for the start of the service.
Woowa Brothers has been testing robot delivery services in apartment complexes, airports, large office buildings and parks mainly in Seoul since 2019.
Baemin reportedly accounts for about 60 percent of the country’s food delivery app market, with the remainder shared by GS Retail Co.’s Yogiyo app and Coupang Eats, the food delivery arm of e-commerce leader Coupang.
South Korea is one of the world’s biggest food delivery markets, backed by its high smartphone penetration and dense population.
In December 2019, German online food delivery service Delivery Hero acquired Woowa Brothers for US$4 billion. The German company currently owns a 99.07 percent stake in Woowa Brothers.
(Yonhap)
