South Korea posted a record $33.5 billion in exports for Nov. 1-10, bringing annual shipments close to $1 trillion as semiconductors made up nearly half of the total.
Korea Customs Service (KCS) data showed South Korea’s exports totaled $963.6 billion through Nov. 10. A $1 trillion annual total would be a first for the country. The cumulative trade surplus through that date stood at $303.7 billion.
Exports had already reached $814.5 billion from January through September, surpassing the full-year 2025 record of $709.3 billion, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
For the 10-day November period, exports were $33.5 billion, compared with $15.7 billion a year earlier. The latest figure was the highest in customs records for a Nov. 1-10 period. Shipments to China rose 148% to $9.16 billion, while exports to the United States increased 163.6% to $6.79 billion.
Semiconductor exports climbed 331.2% year over year to $16.6 billion. They accounted for 49.7% of exports, a share 25.3 percentage points above the level a year earlier. Petroleum products exports more than doubled to $2 billion, while car exports fell 4.3% to $1.4 billion.
Imports increased 45% to $24.7 billion during the same period, leaving a trade surplus of $8.8 billion.
October exports totaled $115.28 billion, up 93.7% from a year earlier, based on figures attributed to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and reported in EconoTimes’ coverage of October exports.
KCS figures for Oct. 1-20 listed $61.612 billion in exports, 105.4% above the comparable period a year earlier, as EconoTimes noted in its report on October’s first 20 days. That window had 13 working days, compared with 10.5 in the year-earlier period. Average daily exports reached a record $4.74 billion, up 65.9%.
