Unmanned coffee shops, ramen restaurants, and flower shops are emerging everywhere in South Korea.
According to a report by Reuters on July 2nd, Korean businesses are turning to robotic and self-service services in order to cope with rising labor costs. The operation of this business model largely relies on the honesty and awareness of customers.
According to data from the Korean Fire and Rescue Agency, as of the end of 2024, there were approximately 9,000 such stores operating 24 hours a day in Korea. Payment service provider Samsung Credit Card stated that the number of such stores will increase by about four times by 2025 compared to 2020.
Shop owners said that the difficulty in finding workers and the rising salary costs were the main reasons for choosing this model. Additionally, Korea has a low rate of minor crimes, and customers generally obey the law, which also provides conditions for no management.
Currently, South Korea is experiencing rapid population aging, coupled with a globally low birth rate, which has directly led to a labor shortage. The South Korean government expects that by 2072, the country’s population will decrease by nearly one-third, from the current 51.8 million to 36.2 million.
