Korea's current account surplus with U.S. slips in 2025

Korea posted a drop in its current account surplus with the United States last year for the first time in six years due to a widened service account deficit, while its current account deficit with China and Japan widened, central bank data showed Friday.

Korea's current account surplus with the United States totaled $111.42 billion last year, down from an all-time high of $116.97 billion in 2024, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The goods account surplus rose 2.53 percent on-year to $111.98 billion last year, on the back of a rise in semiconductors and smartphones.

But Korea's service account deficit with the United States widened to $14.62 billion last year from the previous year's deficit of $8.88 billion, the central bank said.

BOK data showed that Korea reported a current account deficit of $25.32 billion with China last year, widening 7.97 percent from the previous year.

With Japan, Korea saw its current account deficit widen by 13 percent on-year to $20.3 billion last year.

The country's current account surplus with the European Union rose 9.9 percent on-year last year to $24.42 billion, driven by strong exports, according to the BOK.

The country also posted a $71.84 billion current account surplus with Southeast Asian nations last year, up 13.24 percent from a year earlier, while it recorded a $49.75 billion deficit with the Middle East, down 26.8 percent over the same period.

Overall, Korea's global current account surplus widened to $123 billion in 2025, up sharply from $99.97 billion a year earlier, the data showed.

Yonhap