Semiconductor Boom Drives Surge in Large Corporations' Exports... Top 10 Firms' Trade Concentration Surpasses 55%

Driven by a boom in semiconductor exports in the second quarter of this year, the share of the nation’s top 10 exporters surpassed 55 percent. Capital goods exports led by major companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix propelled overall export growth, further intensifying the concentration of exports among large corporations.

According to the ‘Second Quarter 2026 Preliminary Trade Statistics by Company Characteristic’ released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on August 11, the trade concentration of the top 10 exporters reached 55.3 percent in the second quarter of this year. This marks an increase of 17.0 percentage points from 38.3 percent in the same quarter last year. The trade concentration for the top 100 exporters also rose to 76.3 percent, up 10.0 percentage points from 66.3 percent in the same period last year.

Total exports during this period amounted to USD 275.5 billion, up 57.3 percent year-on-year. Exports from the top 10 companies soared 127.0 percent from a year earlier to USD 152.3 billion, while those of the top 100 companies rose 81.2 percent to USD 210.3 billion.

Following President Donald Trump’s signing of a proclamation imposing a 25% tariff without exception on steel and aluminum products imported into the United States, and his announcement that tariffs on automobiles and semiconductors are also under consideration, export vehicles are waiting to be loaded at Pyeongtaek Port, Gyeonggi Province, on February 13, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The sharp rise in exports was largely driven by IT core components such as semiconductors. By product category, capital goods exports surged 87.1 percent year-on-year to USD 189.8 billion. Notably, exports of IT components—including semiconductors—skyrocketed 164.4 percent to USD 118.6 billion from a year earlier.

By industry, the electrical and electronics sector posted the most remarkable growth, with exports reaching USD 160.4 billion, representing a 109.8 percent increase year-over-year. Total exports for the entire light manufacturing industry also rose by 64.9 percent from a year earlier, reaching USD 247.5 billion.

Exports of raw materials climbed 25.2 percent to USD 60.4 billion, fueled by increases in minerals and chemical industry products. In contrast, consumer goods exports contracted by 0.5 percent to USD 25.3 billion, mainly due to decreases in durable consumer goods such as automobiles.

By company size, the surge in exports was particularly pronounced among large corporations. In the second quarter, large companies recorded exports of USD 206.0 billion, an 81.8 percent jump from the same period last year. Mid-sized companies also saw a 10.9 percent increase to USD 35.9 billion, while small companies posted a 13.1 percent rise, reaching USD 32.7 billion.

Meanwhile, total imports in the second quarter rose 22.4 percent year-on-year to USD 188.9 billion. The trade concentration of the top 10 importers increased by 2.4 percentage points to 31.5 percent, and for the top 100 importers, it rose by 4.5 percentage points to 59.1 percent.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.