Semiconductor exports accounted for nearly half of South Korea’s record goods shipments from Oct. 1-20, provisional customs figures showed, as total exports more than doubled from a year earlier.
The Korea Customs Service put exports at $61.612 billion, up 105.4% from the same period in 2025. The total set a record for the Oct. 1-20 period.
The two periods had different numbers of working days: 13 this year and 10.5 last year. Exports averaged a record $4.74 billion per working day, a 65.9% annual increase.
Semiconductor exports rose 222.5% to about $27.5 billion, setting a record for the period and making up 44.7% of total exports. Reuters linked the increase in chip exports to global investment in artificial intelligence.
Imports increased 42.8% to $47.117 billion. The customs service reported a trade surplus of $14.496 billion for Oct. 1-20.
The provisional figures follow a record September. Final customs data showed exports of $121.050 billion that month, up 83.7% from a year earlier. A full-month October figure has not yet been reported.
