Korea recorded its highest-ever monthly exports — surpassing the $120 billion mark — last month, thereby exceeding $800 billion in annual exports for the first time in history.
This marks the first-time monthly exports have exceeded $120 billion, shattering the previous record of $102 billion set in June. Driven by this performance, cumulative exports from January to September reached $814.5 billion, easily surpassing the previous record annual total of $709.3 billion set last year.
Semiconductor exports in September hit $60.3 billion, a massive 262.8% increase year-on-year, marking the first time the sector has crossed the $60 billion threshold. This surge followed three consecutive months of exports exceeding $40 billion.
Meanwhile, exports of items excluding semiconductors increased by 23%. Among the top 20 major export categories, 11 saw growth, including petroleum products ($7.22 billion, up 72.0%), petrochemicals ($3.95 billion, up 5.1%), and ships ($3.76 billion, up 29.9%).
Steel exports ($2.24 billion, up 3.3%) remained steady, driven by rising demand for AI data centers in the United States, despite tightened regulations such as U.S. tariffs and the EU’s introduction of import quotas (TRQs).
Automobile exports fell by 5.5% due to a base effect caused by the shifting timing of the Chuseok holiday and sluggish used-car exports, while exports of agricultural and fishery products declined by 4.7%, partly due to fewer working days.
In order to cope with the challenges of toughening global markets, Korean export companies are ceaselessly strategically knocking on the doors of global markets, and showcasing new competitive products in both domestic and overseas markets.
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