Exports hit new 20-day record in February as global appetite for chips keeps growing
Published: 23 Feb. 2026, 13:59
Updated: 23 Feb. 2026, 14:07
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Containers ready for export are piled up at a port in Incheon on Feb. 1. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/23/47c70ac6-5ee7-443b-8ffe-efd29724b82f.jpg)
Containers ready for export are piled up at a port in Incheon on Feb. 1. [NEWS1]
Korea’s exports totaled $43.5 billion from Feb. 1 to Friday, the highest ever recorded for a 20-day period, driven by a sharp jump in semiconductor shipments amid expanding demand for AI.
Outbound shipments rose 23.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service on Monday. The previous record, from Dec. 1 to 20, 2025, was $43 billion.
Average daily exports, adjusted for working days, came to $3.35 billion, up 47.3 percent for Feb. 1 to 20, 2025. With 13 working days this February, which is 2.5 days fewer than a year earlier, the rise was even more pronounced.
By item, semiconductor exports surged 134.1 percent to $15.12 billion. Semiconductors accounted for 34.7 percent of total exports, up 16.4 percentage points from a year earlier.
Exports of petroleum products rose 10.5 percent, while computer peripherals jumped 129.2 percent. Shipments of ships and wireless communication devices increased 22.7 percent and 22.8 percent, respectively.
In contrast, exports of passenger cars fell 26.6 percent, auto parts declined 20.7 percent and precision instruments dropped 18.6 percent.
![Attendees visit booths at Semicon Korea, an annual semiconductor exhibition, at Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 11. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/23/f2c4ca06-d68d-4c67-b32d-c839c9bdce16.jpg)
Attendees visit booths at Semicon Korea, an annual semiconductor exhibition, at Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 11. [YONHAP]
By destination, exports increased across the board, including to China, up 30.8 percent; the United States, up 21.9 percent; Vietnam, up 17.6 percent; the European Union, up 11.4 percent; and Taiwan, up 76.4 percent. Average daily exports to the United States rose 45.4 percent.
Imports over the same period came to $38.6 billion, up 11.7 percent, from a year earlier. Imports of semiconductors rose 19.2 percent, crude oil gained 0.8 percent, semiconductor manufacturing equipment increased 28.5 percent and gas climbed 33.6 percent, while machinery fell 6 percent.
Imports from China rose 38.6 percent, while those from the European Union increased 10.5 percent, Vietnam 32.4 percent and Taiwan 8.5 percent. Imports from the United States fell 3.2 percent and those from Japan declined 9.2 percent.
With exports outpacing imports, the trade balance posted a surplus of $4.9 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.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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