Annual Exports Exceed $800 Billion for First Time... September Hits All-Time High of $1.209 Trillion

South Korea's exports last month reached $120.94 billion, an 83.5% increase compared to the same period last year.

This marks the first time monthly exports have surpassed $120 billion, breaking the previous record of $102.2 billion set in June to post an all-time high.

With this, cumulative exports for this year have been tallied at $814.5 billion.

This easily surpasses last year's total annual exports of $709.3 billion, setting a new record for annual exports even with a full quarter remaining.

Only three countries—the United States, China, and Germany—have ever achieved $1 trillion in annual exports. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Lee Hyung-il said today (October 1), "We forecast that exports will exceed $1 trillion on an annual performance basis."

Semiconductors once again drove this export performance.

Semiconductor exports last month reached $60.3 billion, surging 262.8% from the same period last year.

Following three consecutive months of exceeding $40 billion, exports immediately broke through the $60 billion mark.

Analysts attribute this sustained boom to continued growth in demand for memory chips and stable increases in fixed prices.

Beyond semiconductors, computer exports surged 435.3% to $7.0 billion driven by rising demand for AI infrastructure, while wireless communication devices also increased 23.4% to $2.14 billion thanks to strong sales of premium models and increased exports of iPhone components.

By region, exports grew in six out of nine regions, with exports to China increasing by 122.7% and exports to the U.S. rising by 137%.

Imports last month stood at $71.09 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $49.85 billion.

The cumulative trade surplus from the beginning of this year through last month reached $252.5 billion.

(Reported by Min Gyeongho | Video editing by Kim Yoon-sung | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.