South Korea Trade Surplus Beats Estimates

South Korea’s trade surplus surged to USD 30.32 billion in July 2026, up from USD 6.61 billion in the same month a year earlier, surpassing market expectations of USD 29.59 billion and marking the 18th consecutive month of surplus as exports continue to outpace imports, flash data showed. Exports soared 62.8% year-on-year to USD 98.89 billion, easing from a downwardly revised 70.7% surge in June and marking the second-highest figure on record after sales exceeded USD 100 billion for the first time in June, mainly driven by a surge in semiconductor shipments, which rose for the 14th consecutive month, driven by strong demand for memory chips, with semiconductor exports jumping 178.8% to a record USD 41.01 billion, surpassing USD 40 billion for the second month. Meanwhile, imports climbed 26.5% year-on-year to a record high of USD 68.56 billion, slowing from a downwardly revised 30.0% growth in June, supported by resilient domestic demand and a rebound in industrial activity.

South Korea’s trade surplus soared to USD 36.15 billion in June 2026, up from USD 9.08 billion in the same month a year earlier, marking the 17th consecutive month in surplus and the largest trade surplus on record, flash data showed. Exports jumped 70.9% year-on-year to a record high of USD 102.25 billion, accelerating sharply from an upwardly revised 53.4% surge in May, and exceeding USD 100 billion for the first time, mainly driven by a surge in semiconductor exports. Shipments rose for the 13th straight month, with semiconductor exports soaring 199.5% to a record USD 44.82 billion, surpassing USD 40 billion for the first time, driven by strong demand for memory chips. Meanwhile, imports grew 30.1% yoy to a record peak of USD 66.10 billion, accelerating from a downwardly revised 20.7% increase in May and marking the fastest pace since May 2022, supported by resilient domestic demand.

South Korea’s trade surplus surged to USD 26.95 billion in May 2026, up from USD 6.93 billion in the same month a year earlier, surpassing market expectations of a USD 24.3 billion surplus and marking a 16th consecutive month in the black and the largest surplus on record, flash data showed. Exports jumped 53.2% yoy to a record peak of USD 87.75 billion, beating market forecasts of 48.4% and accelerating from a 48.0% rise in April, mainly driven by a surge in semiconductor exports. Shipments rose for a 12th straight month, with semiconductor sales soaring 169.4% to a record USD 37.16 billion, lifted by strong AI investment. Shipments to China and the US surged by 80.9% and 59.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, imports increased 20.8%, softer than expectations of 21.5% but accelerating from 16.7% growth in April, and the fastest pace since August 2022, supported by resilient domestic demand. For the first five months of the year, the country posted a USD 101.91 billion surplus.