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In fried-chicken-obsessed South Korea, restaurants serving the nation's favourite fast-food dish dot every street corner.
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But Kang Ji-young's establishment brings something a little different to the table: a robot is cooking the chicken.
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Eaten at everything from tiny family gatherings to a 10-million-viewer live-streamed "mukbang" - eating broadcast - by K-pop star Jungkook of BTS fame, fried chicken is deeply embedded in South Korean culture.
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Korean fried chicken is brined and double-fried, which gives it its signature crispy exterior, but the process - more elaborate than what is typically used by US fast food chains - creates additional labour and requires extended worker proximity to hot oil.
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Enter Kang, a 38-year-old entrepreneur who saw an opportunity to improve the South Korean fried chicken business model - and the dish itself. "The market is huge," Kang told AFP at her Robert Chicken franchise.
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Kang's robot, composed of a simple, flexible mechanical arm, is capable of frying 100 chickens in two hours - a task that would require around five people and several deep fryers.
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But not only does the robot make chicken more efficiently - it makes it more delicious, says Kang. "We can now say with confidence that our robot fries better than human beings do," she said.
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A robot meticulously handles the frying process - from immersing chicken in oil, flipping it for even cooking, to retrieving it at the perfect level of crispiness, as the irresistible scent of crunchy chicken wafted through the shop.
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The robot can monitor oil temperature and oxidation levels in real time while it fries chicken, ensuring consistent taste and superior hygiene.
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Entrepreneur Kang now has 15 robot-made chicken restaurants in South Korea, and one branch in Singapore.
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