South Korea Imports Rise Less than Estimated

2026-04-01 00:11 By Farida Husna 1 min. read

South Korea’s imports rose 13.2% year-on-year to USD 60.4 billion in March 2026, the highest amount since September 2022, accelerating from a 7.5% growth in the previous month, according to flash data.

The latest result marked a fifth straight month of expansion in inbound shipments, boosted by robust domestic demand after Seoul's multiple rounds of household and business support measures in 2025.

However, the pace of import growth was below market forecasts of a 18% gain, partly reflecting lingering uncertainty tied to Middle East tensions.

The Iran conflict has driven up global crude oil prices, increasing import bills for energy-reliant South Korea and adding to inflation risks.

At the same time, heightened volatility has prompted some firms to delay or scale back orders, tempering overall import growth.



News Stream
South Korea Imports Rise Less than Estimated
South Korea’s imports rose 13.2% year-on-year to USD 60.4 billion in March 2026, the highest amount since September 2022, accelerating from a 7.5% growth in the previous month, according to flash data. The latest result marked a fifth straight month of expansion in inbound shipments, boosted by robust domestic demand after Seoul's multiple rounds of household and business support measures in 2025. However, the pace of import growth was below market forecasts of a 18% gain, partly reflecting lingering uncertainty tied to Middle East tensions. The Iran conflict has driven up global crude oil prices, increasing import bills for energy-reliant South Korea and adding to inflation risks. At the same time, heightened volatility has prompted some firms to delay or scale back orders, tempering overall import growth.
2026-04-01
South Korea Imports Grow Less than Expected
South Korea’s imports rose 7.5% yoy to USD 51.94 billion in February 2026, slowing from an 11.6% expansion in the previous month and falling short of market estimates of 13%, a flash reading showed. Still, the latest result marked the fourth successive month of purchases, lifted by sustained domestic demand ahead of the Lunar New Year festival. Crude oil imports declined 11.4%, amid relatively stable international oil prices in the first two months of the year.
2026-03-01
South Korea Import Growth Below Estimates
South Korea’s imports grew 11.7% year-on-year to USD 57.1 billion in January 2026, following a 4.6% increase in the previous month and coming in below market expectations of a 14.6% gain, according to flash data. It marked the third consecutive month of import growth and the fastest increase since September 2022. Non-energy imports rose 18.4% from a year earlier to USD 47.08 billion, while energy imports fell 11.9% to USD 10.03 billion. In 2025, imports edged down 0.02% to USD 631.7 billion.
2026-02-01