South Korea Trade Surplus Above Estimates

2025-08-01 00:04 By Chusnul Chotimah 1 min. read

South Korea's trade surplus increased to USD 6.61 billion in July 2025, up from USD 3.62 billion in the same month a year earlier, and surpassed market expectations of USD 5.36 billion, as exports rose more than imports, preliminary data showed.

Exports grew 5.9% year-on-year to a seven-month high of USD 60.82 billion, exceeding market expectations of 4.6% growth and accelerating from a 4.3% rise in the previous month.

This marked the fastest pace since last December, primarily driven by robust semiconductor shipments, which surged 31.6% year-on-year to a record high of USD 14.71 billion.

Meanwhile, imports rose 0.7% in July, slowing from a 3.3% gain in June and falling short of market expectations for a 2.0% increase.

Non-energy imports advanced 3.7% from a year earlier, while energy imports dropped by 11.3%.



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