S. Korea's exports surge 52% in first 20 days of July as chip shipments soar

South Korea's exports surged 52.3% year-over-year to $54.9 billion in the first 20 days of July, driven by a 180% jump in semiconductor shipments to $22.1 billion amid strong AI-related demand, according to data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports rose 20% to $42.7 billion, yielding a trade surplus of $12.2 billion.

S. Korea's exports surge 52% in first 20 days of July as chip shipments soar South Korea's exports jumped 52.3 percent year over year during the first 20 days of July, driven by a sharp increase in semiconductor shipments fueled by strong demand linked to the artificial intelligence AI boom, according to data released by the Korea Customs Service on Tuesday, Qazinform News Agency https://qazinform.com/ cites Yonhap https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260721001951320 . Exports totaled 54.9 billion US dollars between July 1 and July 20, up from 36 billion US dollars recorded during the same period a year earlier. Imports also increased, rising 20 percent from a year earlier to 42.7 billion US dollars, leaving the country with a trade surplus of 12.2 billion US dollars. Semiconductors remained the main driver of export growth, with overseas chip shipments soaring 180 percent year over year to 22.1 billion US dollars. Exports of petroleum products climbed 33.4 percent to 3.41 billion US dollars, while automobile exports declined 10.6 percent to 3.24 billion US dollars. Shipments of steel products rose 11.1 percent to 2.64 billion US dollars, and ship exports surged 70.8 percent to 2.44 billion US dollars. By market, exports to China nearly doubled to 13.3 billion US dollars, while shipments to the United States increased 39.6 percent to 8.96 billion US dollars. Since the start of the year through Monday, South Korea's cumulative exports reached 551.2 billion US dollars, representing a 48.7 percent increase compared with the same period last year. Earlier, Qazinform https://qazinform.com/ reported South Korea launches https://qazinform.com/news/south-korea-launches-geoji-map-app-helping-youth-find-cheap-meals-3baee6 the Geoji Map app helping youth find cheap meals.