South Korea’s exports rose 13.5 percent year-on-year in the first 20 days of September, reaching $40.12 billion, according to the Korea Customs Service. However, per-day exports fell 10.6 percent due to more working days compared with last year. Imports grew 9.9 percent to $38.22 billion, leaving a trade surplus of $1.9 billion.
Semiconductors led the export surge, rising 27 percent to $9.49 billion and accounting for nearly 24 percent of total exports. Automobile shipments advanced 14.9 percent to $3.42 billion, while vessels exports soared 46.1 percent to $1.51 billion. Steel exports increased 7.1 percent to $2.53 billion, but chemical product shipments declined 4.5 percent to $2.68 billion.
Exports to China, South Korea’s largest trading partner, grew 1.6 percent to $7.77 billion. Shipments to the U.S. rose 6.1 percent to $6.55 billion, but the daily average fell 16.4 percent amid new U.S. tariffs. In July, Seoul and Washington agreed to lower reciprocal tariffs on Korean goods to 15 percent in exchange for a $350 billion Korean investment commitment in the U.S.
August exports rose 1.3 percent year-on-year to $58.4 billion, driven by strong semiconductor demand. Analysts expect trade performance to remain a key growth driver, despite ongoing tariff pressures and global uncertainties.
