[Anchor]
Last month, exports surpassed $100 billion for the first time in history. South Korea is the fourth country in the world to record monthly exports exceeding $100 billion.
Reporter Jeon Hyeong-u has the story.
[Reporter]
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that exports in June reached $102.25 billion, a 70.9% surge compared to the same month last year.
This marks the first time in history that monthly exports have exceeded $100 billion.
South Korea is the fourth nation in the world to achieve $100 billion in monthly exports, following Germany, China, and the United States.
Semiconductors led the export performance.
Last month, semiconductor exports increased by 199.5% compared to last year, reaching $44.82 billion.
Semiconductor exports for the first half of the year totaled $192.4 billion, already surpassing the total export performance for the entire previous year.
Other IT items also showed strength, with computer exports increasing by over 300% to $5.41 billion, and wireless communication devices growing by more than 50% to $1.55 billion.
By region, exports increased in seven out of the nine major export regions.
Exports to China and the United States, the country's largest trading partners, each exceeded $20 billion.
The trade balance for June also surpassed $30 billion for the first time, recording a surplus of $36.15 billion.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-gwan stated, "The first half of the year was a period with challenging export conditions," adding, "Nevertheless, exports reached a record high in the first half due to the steady performance of promising consumer goods."
As exports for the first half of this year reached a record high of $496.7 billion, it is expected that the total annual exports will surpass the $1 trillion mark if the strong trend continues in the second half.
Video by Lee So-young
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