A suicide case different from the others they investigate in South Korea . City council in the Asian country on Wednesday (June 26) that the first robot who had administrative duties was taken out of service after he fell down the stairs alone, with the local media talking about the “first robot suicide in the country”.

The city council in the South Korean city of Gumi appears to have found the robot out of commission after it fell down a 2-meter-high staircase last week.

Witnesses saw the robot-employee “to circle around a point as if there was something there” before the … fatality happened, but the exact cause of the fall is still being investigated, a city council official told AFP.

“Its pieces have been collected and will be analyzed by the company,” the official said, adding that the robot was “helping with daily document deliveries, city promotion and information” for local residents.

“He was an official part of City Hall, one of us,” said another official, who appeared to lament the robot’s “sudden death.” “It worked perfectly.” However, local media headlines questioned or ridiculed the robot’s “suicide” after the story became public, saying: “Why did the diligent employee do it?” or asking “was the job too hard for the robot?”

Installed in August 2023, the robot was one of the first to be used in this way in the city.

Manufactured from Bear Robotics , a robot-waiter startup from California, the robot worked from 9am to 6pm and had its own public service employee card.

Unlike other robots, which can usually only perform tasks on one floor, the Gumi City Council robot could call an elevator and move between floors on its own.

South Koreans are among the world’s most enthusiastic users of robots.

It has the highest robot density in the world, with one industrial robot for every 10 workers, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

Gumi city council does not plan currently to “adopt” second robot – an employee at the moment, it was clarified to AFP.