▲ Busan Port Sinseondae Terminal filled with shipping containers
South Korea's exports in June surpassed $100 billion for the first time in history, marking a new milestone.
Driven by the flagship semiconductor sector, which posted over $40 billion in performance, the country also saw its trade surplus exceed $30 billion for the first time, achieving remarkable results in both volume and quality.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on July 1 that exports in June reached $102.25 billion, a 70.9% surge compared to the same month last year.
This is the first time in history that monthly exports have exceeded $100 billion.
With this achievement, South Korea has become the fourth country in the world to reach $100 billion in monthly exports, following Germany, China, and the United States.
The primary driver was semiconductors.
Due to the explosive demand for memory chips fueled by the global artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investment boom, fixed prices soared, leading to a 199.5% jump in semiconductor exports to $44.82 billion in June compared to the previous year.
This marks the first time that monthly semiconductor exports have surpassed $40 billion.
Beyond semiconductors, most IT items also showed strong performance.
Computer exports, driven by high demand for SSDs from big tech companies, increased by 308.8% to $5.41 billion.
Wireless communication devices ($1.55 billion, up 51.9%) also showed growth, centered on finished mobile phone products.
Out of the 20 major export items, 18 recorded growth, achieving balanced development.
By region, 7 out of the 9 major export markets showed positive growth.
In particular, exports to China and the United States, South Korea's largest trading partners, both exceeded $20 billion.
The trade balance for June recorded a surplus of $36.15 billion, the first time it has exceeded $30 billion in history.
The cumulative trade surplus from January to June reached $138.3 billion, an increase of $110.9 billion compared to the same period last year.
Total exports for the first half of this year (January–June) reached $496.7 billion, setting an all-time record.
If this momentum continues through the second half of the year, there are expectations that annual exports will surpass the dream threshold of $1 trillion.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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