South Korea Current Account Surplus Narrows in April

South Korea’s current account surplus declined to USD 28.29 billion in April 2026, the second-largest monthly surplus on record, down from a marginally revised all-time high of USD 37.93 billion in the previous month. The decline was mainly driven by a narrowing of the goods surplus to USD 33.88 billion in April from USD 35.68 billion in March, although exports surged 54.5% from a year earlier, outpacing the 16.1% increase in imports. Additionally, the services account deficit widened to USD 2.42 billion from USD 1.31 billion, while the primary income account swung to a deficit of USD 2.53 billion from a surplus of USD 3.59 billion. Meanwhile, the secondary income deficit widened to USD 0.64 billion from USD 0.03 billion, due to a decrease in the income on equity. For the first four months of the year, the current account surplus surged to USD 102.67 billion from USD 24.00 billion in the same period of 2025.

South Korea’s current account surplus widened to USD 37.33 billion in March 2026, marking the largest monthly surplus ever and surpassing the previous peak set in February at USD 23.19 billion. The country has now posted a current account surplus for 35 straight months since May 2023, the second-longest streak on record. The sharp increase was mainly driven by robust semiconductor exports, which lifted the goods account surplus to an all-time high of USD 35.07 billion from USD 23.36 billion in the previous month, as exports surged 56.9% year-on-year to USD 94.32 billion, far outpacing a 17.4% rise in imports to USD 59.24 billion. Additionally, the services account deficit narrowed to USD 1.29 billion from USD 1.86 billion, while the primary income surplus rose to USD 3.58 billion from USD 2.48 billion due to an increase in the income on equity. The secondary income shortfall also fell to USD 0.03 billion from USD 0.79 billion.

South Korea’s current account surplus widened to $23.19 billion in February 2026 from $13.26 billion in January. This marked the largest monthly surplus on record, surpassing the previous high of $18.7 billion set in December 2025, driven by strong semiconductor exports, which boosted the goods balance before the Middle East war began to disrupt global energy markets and shipping. The goods account surplus rose to a record $23.36 billion from $15.17 billion in the previous month, as exports surged 29.9% year-on-year to $70.37 billion, far outpacing a 4.0% rise in imports to $47.0 billion. The services account deficit narrowed to $1.86 billion from $3.80 billion, supported by smaller shortfalls in travel and the use of intellectual property. Meanwhile, the primary income surplus edged down to $2.48 billion from $2.72 billion, reflecting a drop in income on equity. The secondary income deficit also fell slightly to $0.79 billion from $0.83 billion.