By sharing the technology, the oceans ministry said local firms could save more than 10 billion won ($8.9 million) annually as they will no longer have to rent such equipment.

The ministry and the institution have invested 81.4 billion won since 2013, including creating a private fund of 13.1 billion won, on carrying out research projects to develop construction robots.

The URI-L robot is capable of performing various light tasks up to a depth of 2,500 meters, and the URI-T can install heavy objects such as cables at the same depth. The URI-R robot is capable of cracking rocks and making the ground even at 500-meter depths.

South Korea plans to account for 5 percent of the world's market for unmanned marine robots in 2030. (Yonhap)