Shipping containers are stacked at Sinseondae Terminal in Busan Port on July 1.YONHAP
Korea becomes fourth nation to top $100 billion in monthly exports as chip shipments hit record high
The nation also posted a record monthly trade surplus of $36.15 billion, up $27.14 billion from a year earlier and marking the first time the figure surpassed $30 billion.
Korea became the fourth country to surpass $100 billion in monthly exports in June, with booming semiconductor shipments pushing exports to a new high.
Exports rose 70.9 percent from a year earlier to a record $102.25 billion in June, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources on Wednesday. It marked the first time Korea's monthly exports surpassed $100 billion, joining Germany, China and the United States as the only countries to achieve the milestone.
Semiconductor exports rose 199.5 percent from a year earlier to a record $44.82 billion in June. It marked the first time monthly semiconductor exports exceeded $40 billion, surpassing the previous monthly record of $37.2 billion in May.
Semiconductors accounted for 43.8 percent of Korea's total exports in June, up 18.8 percentage points from a year earlier. The share first exceeded 40 percent in May, reaching 42.3 percent, and then climbed by 1.5 percentage points in June.
Exports excluding semiconductors also increased 28 percent from a year earlier.
Among Korea's 20 major export categories, 18 posted on-year growth in June. Nine categories — semiconductors, computers, automobiles, petroleum products, electronic equipment, nonferrous metals, agricultural and fisheries products, cosmetics and biopharmaceuticals — recorded their highest monthly export values on record.
Computer exports surged 308.8 percent to $5.41 billion, driven by growing demand for solid-state drives, or SSDs, as major technology companies expanded investment in AI infrastructure. Exports of wireless communication equipment rose 51.9 percent to $1.55 billion, supported by strong sales of new products.
Traditional export sectors such as automobiles and steel also posted gains.
Automobile exports increased 5.8 percent to $6.71 billion as parts supplies stabilized and production volumes rose. Auto parts exports, however, fell 2.4 percent to $1.74 billion due to more companies expanding local production and a slower-than-expected recovery in global demand for new vehicles.
Steel products are lined up outdoors at Pyeongtaek Port in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on April 3.NEWS1
Steel exports rose 9.6 percent to $2.14 billion, returning to growth for the first time in 14 months since April 2025, as demand for construction materials increased amid a global boom in data center construction.
Imports increased 30.1 percent from a year earlier to $66.1 billion in June, with energy imports rising 45.1 percent.
Crude oil import volumes fell 10 percent. However, the value of crude oil imports climbed 50.4 percent to $8.6 billion as higher import prices resulting from the Iran war outweighed the decline in volume.
Korea posted a record monthly trade surplus of $36.15 billion, up $27.14 billion from a year earlier, marking the first time the figure surpassed $30 billion.
Looking at the overall first half of the year, exports rose 48.4 percent from a year earlier to a record $496.7 billion.
Semiconductor exports increased 163 percent during the same period, while exports excluding semiconductors rose 16 percent.
Imports rose 16.6 percent to $258.4 billion, driven by higher energy import prices. Even so, export growth far outpaced import growth, resulting in a record first-half trade surplus of $138.3 billion.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
