Semiconductor Exports Set New Record Again... Up 259.4% Through the 20th of This Month

Korea Customs Service Releases Export and Import Data for September 1–20

Total Exports Reach USD 71.4 Billion, Up 78.3% Year-on-Year

Both Overall and Semiconductor Exports Hit Record Highs

Due to the continued boom in semiconductor exports, total exports from the 1st to the 20th of this month increased by nearly 80% compared to the same period last year. Both overall exports and semiconductor exports reached record highs.

According to the export and import statistics for September 1–20 released by the Korea Customs Service on the 21st, export value reached USD 71.4 billion, up 78.3% from the same period last year. This is the highest figure for the period on record.

Containers are piled up at Pyeongtaek Port in Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

The number of working days was 15.5, one day fewer than the same period last year (16.5 days). Taking this into account, the average daily export value was USD 4.61 billion, a rise of 89.8% from the same period in the previous year.

This month’s strong export performance was, once again, led by semiconductors. Semiconductor exports from the beginning of the month through the 20th reached USD 34.128 billion, a surge of 259.4% year-on-year, breaking the record once again. In addition, exports of petroleum products (47.8%), passenger cars (9.3%), steel products (8.0%), and ships (63.0%) also grew, while exports of wireless communication devices (-0.4%) and precision instruments (-6.3%) declined. As a result, semiconductors accounted for 47.8% of total exports from September 1 to 20, up 24.1 percentage points. Exports to the top 10 countries all increased. Shipments to China (113.8%), the United States (118.0%), Vietnam (44.8%), Taiwan (128.5%), the European Union (37.0%), and Japan (33.5%) rose.

Imports for the period through the 20th of this month amounted to USD 48.4 billion, up 26.7% from a year earlier. Among the top 10 key import categories, nine—led by semiconductors (88.8%), crude oil (37.3%), and semiconductor manufacturing equipment (55.6%)—saw increases, except for petroleum products, which decreased by 24.8%. By country, imports from China (48.7%), the EU (16.7%), the United States (29.5%), and Japan (31.6%) increased, while imports from Australia (-13.7%) and Saudi Arabia (-22.7%) decreased. Imports of energy (crude oil, gas, coal) grew by 27.9%.

The trade balance for the period from the beginning of the month through the 20th recorded a surplus of USD 23.0 billion. As a result, the cumulative trade surplus from January 1 to September 20 this year expanded to USD 225.59 billion.

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