South Korea’s exports have surpassed the country’s annual record for 2025, reaching $709.4 billion so far this year as demand for artificial intelligence chips drives a surge in semiconductor shipments.
The figure has already edged above the $709.3 billion recorded during the whole of 2025, which itself was a second consecutive annual high, according to the Korea Customs Service.
South Korea is now on course to record $1 trillion in exports by early December. If achieved, it would become only the fourth country to reach that level, after the United States, China and Germany.
Semiconductors have been the main engine of growth. Chip exports rose by 169.6 per cent year on year to $281 billion in the first eight months of 2026, accounting for 41 per cent of the country’s total overseas shipments.
The latest customs data showed exports reached a monthly record of $98.3 billion in August, up 68.7 per cent from the same month a year earlier. It marked the 15th consecutive month of year-on-year growth, while the country recorded a trade surplus of $34.7 billion.
South Korea is home to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, two of the world’s largest memory-chip makers. Both have benefited from higher chip prices and heavy investment in AI infrastructure, which has increased demand for advanced memory products and tightened supply.
The strength of the technology sector has contrasted with weaker shipments of passenger cars, South Korea’s second-largest export category. Automotive exports fell by 4 per cent in the first eight months compared with the same period in 2025.
Exports to China, South Korea’s largest trading partner, increased by 76 per cent between January and August, while shipments to the United States rose by 57 per cent.
The Korea Customs Service said export momentum had remained strong despite rising protectionism, changes in global supply chains and uncertainty linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
