Heavy rain fell over 5·18 Democracy Square in Gwangju on the afternoon of Oct. 3 during the 2025 Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Cup Korea Archery Championship. Spectators, however, stayed after the main competition ended, drawn to the “clash of the century” between South Korea’s top national archers and a high-precision shooting robot developed by Hyundai Motor Group. In the exhibition match, the national team emerged victorious.
The robot was equipped with sensors to analyze wind direction and speed, adjusting its arrow launch angles with millimeter-level precision. A sudden downpour briefly disrupted its performance, but once recalibrated, it scored consecutive 10s.
The national team archers, however, proved more precise. Men’s archers Kim Woo-jin, Lee Woo-seok, and Kim Je-deok, along with women’s archers An San, Kang Chae-young, and Lim Si-hyeon, combined for 55 points from six arrows, while the robot scored 54.
In the compound category, all six national team archers hit 10-point targets, defeating the robot, which scored 58 points. Hyundai Motor Group’s robotics subsidiary, Boston Dynamics, also showcased its robot dog Spot transporting arrows during the event.
In the main tournament held earlier, Lim Si-hyeon, last year’s Paris Olympic triple gold medalist, defeated Kang Chae-young 7-3 to claim the women’s title. In the men’s final, Kim Jong-woo beat last year’s champion Lee Woo-seok 7-3. Lim and Kim each received 100 million won in prize money.
In the compound division, Yang Jae-won and Park Ri-ye claimed the top spots in the men’s and women’s categories. Yang tied with Kim Jong-ho at 147 points but won the shoot-off 10-8, while Park defeated Moon Ye-eun 150-142. Winners in the compound division received 20 million won each.
한종호 hjh@donga.com