Exports during the first half of October (Oct. 1~20) increased by 105.4% year-on-year. Driven by strong semiconductor exports, the period recorded an all-time high in export volume.
According to the "Export and Import Status for the 1-20, 2026" released by the Korea Customs Service on Wednesday, export value during this period reached $61.6 billion, up 105.4% from the same period last year.
This marks the highest export performance ever recorded for the period from the 1st to 20. The daily average export value, adjusted for working days, was $4.74 billion, a 65.9% increase from the same period last year ($2.86 billion).
By product category, semiconductor exports surged by 222.5% year-on-year to $27.5 billion. This is also an all-time high for mid-October. Semiconductors accounted for 44.7% of total exports, a 16.2 percentage point increase from a year earlier.
In addition, exports increased in categories such as petroleum products (68.3%), computer peripherals (424.0%), passenger cars (40.9%), and auto parts (40.4%).
By country, exports rose to China (154.4%), the United States (154.9%), Singapore (121.1%), Malaysia (363.2%), and Vietnam (74.6%). Exports to South Korea's top three trading partners—China, the United States, and Vietnam—accounted for 52.7% of total exports.
Import value from the 1st to the 20th of this month was $47.1 billion, up 42.8% year-on-year. Imports increased in categories such as semiconductors (78.4%), crude oil (42.9%), gas (112.4%), and machinery (43.7%).
Imports by country rose from China (71.1%), the United States (12.9%), the European Union (34.6%), and Japan (45.6%). As exports exceeded imports, the trade balance for the 1st to the 20th of this month showed a surplus of $14.5 billion.
in ECONOMY
