SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / MENA Newswire / – South Korea’s exports topped US$100 billion in a single month for the first time in June, setting a national record as semiconductor shipments nearly tripled. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said exports rose 70.9% from a year earlier to US$102.25 billion. Imports climbed 30.1% to US$66.10 billion. The result gave Asia’s fourth-largest economy a monthly trade surplus of US$36.15 billion, also a record for the country.
South Korea’s record June exports highlight the role of chips in global trade growth.
The June figure made South Korea the fourth country to pass US$100 billion in monthly exports, after Germany, China and the United States. Average daily exports, adjusted for working days, rose 59.5% to US$4.54 billion. That also marked a record for a second straight month. The milestone showed the scale of Korea’s trade rebound in 2026, after strong gains in high-value technology goods and wider growth across most major export categories.
Semiconductors led the increase, rising 199.5% to US$44.82 billion. Chip exports topped US$40 billion for the first time in a month, helped by demand for memory products and higher contract prices. Computer exports jumped 308.8% to US$5.41 billion, with solid state drives among the main contributors. Wireless communication devices rose 51.9% to US$1.55 billion. Overall, 18 of Korea’s 20 major export items posted gains in June.
Technology shipments power record trade month
Other industries also added to the record total. Automobile exports rose 5.8% to US$6.71 billion, while ship exports increased 12.9% to US$2.83 billion. Petroleum products climbed 49.8% to US$5.59 billion, and petrochemicals gained 18.8% to US$4.07 billion. Steel exports rose 9.6% to US$2.14 billion, turning positive for the first time in 14 months. General machinery also returned to growth, rising 7.5% to US$4.08 billion.
Consumer and industrial product categories showed further gains. Biohealth exports rose 14.1% to US$1.92 billion, a record for June. Cosmetics exports increased 42.5% to US$1.34 billion. Agricultural and fisheries products advanced 16.8% to US$1.17 billion, supported by processed food exports such as ramen and seasoned laver. Nonferrous metals climbed 45.8% to US$1.82 billion, helped by higher prices and volumes for copper and aluminum.
China and U.S. demand lift regional totals
By destination, exports rose in seven of South Korea’s nine major markets. Shipments to China increased 92.1% to US$20.03 billion, marking an eighth straight month of growth. Exports to the United States rose 78.6% to US$20.02 billion. ASEAN-bound exports grew 86.6% to US$18.30 billion, setting an all-time monthly record for a fifth consecutive month. Exports to the European Union rose 31.8% to US$7.62 billion, while shipments to the Middle East fell 8.4% to US$1.80 billion.
For the first half of 2026, exports rose 48.4% to US$496.7 billion, the highest first-half total on record. Semiconductor exports reached US$192.4 billion in the six-month period, already above the previous full-year record of US$173.4 billion set in 2025. Imports rose 16.6% to US$358.4 billion. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources reported a first-half trade surplus of US$138.3 billion, up US$110.9 billion from the same period last year.