South Korea's information and communications technology (ICT) exports broke the record for the month of July, staying above the 50-billion-dollar mark for consecutive months, data showed.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy jointly released the ICT export and import trends for July 2026 on August 14.

According to the data, ICT exports in July reached $53.36 billion, marking a 140.6 percent increase compared to $22.17 billion in the same month of the previous year.

This is the highest July ICT export figure on record, maintaining the 50-billion-dollar range following the previous month.

ICT products accounted for 54.0 percent of the nation's total exports ($988.9 billion) for the month, maintaining a share of over half for the third consecutive month and cementing its role as a core pillar of exports.

Major categories saw simultaneous growth, with semiconductors and computers/peripherals showing particularly notable performances.

Semiconductors accounted for $41.02 billion, surging 178.8 percent from the same month last year.

Driven by rising server-side memory exports stemming from increased AI inference demand and the expanded supply of enterprise SSDs, semiconductor exports extended their upward streak to 17 consecutive months, while maintaining a growth rate of over 100 percent compared to the previous year for the seventh straight month.

Computers and peripherals jumped 353.9 percent to $4.94 billion, continuing a nine-month streak of increases.

The primary factor was the growing demand for AI server-side SSDs, with SSD exports alone soaring 500.2 percent to $4.51 billion.

Displays rose 0.5 percent year-on-year to $1.77 billion.

The growth was driven by expanding demand for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels used in finished smartphones and TVs scheduled for release in the second half of the year.

Mobile phones increased by 62.6 percent to $1.55 billion, aided by demand for new product releases and expanded sales of high-end models.

Communications equipment recorded $240 million, up 18.7 percent, buoyed by robust exports of wireless communication devices to Vietnam and automotive equipment to India.

ICT imports for July rose 37.3 percent year-on-year to $18.3 billion.

Consequently, the trade surplus stood at $35.06 billion, maintaining a surplus in the 30-billion-dollar range for the third consecutive month.

(Photo: Yonhap News)