Official data released on Thursday reveals a remarkable surge in South Korea's exports during the first ten days of June, primarily driven by a robust performance in semiconductor shipments.
Figures from the Korea Customs Service indicate that the nation's export value for the period from June 1 to 10 reached $28.6 billion, a significant increase from the $15.4 billion recorded during the same timeframe last year.
This achievement marks a new record for the country's ten-day export value, surpassing the previous high of $25.2 billion set in April 2026.
When adjusted for the number of working days, the average daily export value for the first ten days of June rose by 46.1%.
The import value for the same period also grew, increasing by 35.6% year-on-year to $23.4 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $5.28 billion.
Breaking down the figures by product category, semiconductor exports skyrocketed by more than 200% compared to the previous year, reaching $11 billion. This surge, fueled by the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom, accounted for 38.7% of the total export value, representing a 15.1 percentage point increase from a year earlier.
Exports of petroleum products also saw strong growth, rising by 68.7% to $1.93 billion, while automobile exports increased by 25.4% to $1.62 billion.
Analyzing the data by destination, exports to China doubled, reaching $6.18 billion. Exports to the United States grew by 54.4% to $4.53 billion.
Shipments to Vietnam and the European Union also experienced substantial growth, surging by 102% and 46% respectively.
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