Seoul: SiltaNews – News Desk
Exports of the Republic of Korea increased by 14.9% year-on-year in the first 20 days of January, driven by strong demand for semiconductors, official data showed on Wednesday. Outbound shipments reached $36.36 billion during the January 1–20 period, compared with $31.63 billion recorded in the same period last year, according to data released by the Korea Customs Service.
Imports rose by 4.2% year-on-year to $36.98 billion over the same period, resulting in a trade deficit of around $600 million, Yonhap News Agency reported. The daily average volume of exports also advanced by 14.9% year-on-year, as the number of working days remained unchanged at 14.5 days compared with a year earlier.
By item, exports of semiconductors surged 70.2% from a year earlier to $10.73 billion. Chip exports accounted for 29.5% of the country’s total exports over the cited period, up 9.6% points from the same period last year. Exports of petroleum products went up 17.6% to $2.46 billion, and steel exports edged up 1.2% to $2.4 billion.
But automobile exports sank 10.8% on-year to $2.87 billion, while shipments of vessels dipped 18.1% to $1.33 billion. In December, exports expanded 13.4% from a year earlier to $69.6 billion on strong demand for semiconductors, marking the 11th consecutive month of an on-year increase. For 2025, outbound shipments reached an all-time high of $709.7 billion.