South Korea's Exports Surge 105.4% to a Record $61.6 Billion in the First 20 Days of October as Chip Shipments Jump 222.5% to 44.7% of the Total
SEOUL — South Korea's exports surged 105.4% in the first 20 days of October from a year earlier to $61.6 billion, the highest figure ever recorded for the period, preliminary data from the Korea Customs Service showed on Wednesday, Yonhap reported. Reuters said the increase was led by record chip sales driven by global super intelligence investment.
On a working-day average basis, exports were up 65.9% at a record $4.74 billion; Aju Press noted the period had 13 working days this year, compared with 10.5 a year earlier, amplifying the headline increase. Imports rose 42.8% to $47.1 billion, leaving a trade surplus of $14.5 billion.
By product, semiconductor exports surged 222.5% to $27.5 billion, a fresh record for the October 1–20 period, accounting for 44.7% of total exports, up 16.2 percentage points from a year earlier. Exports of computer peripherals rose 424.0% to $2.43 billion, petroleum products rose 68.3% to $3.94 billion, passenger cars rose 40.9% to $3.35 billion, steel products rose 42.6% to $2.58 billion, and auto parts rose 40.4%. On the import side, semiconductor imports rose 78.4%, crude oil 42.9%, gas 112.4% and machinery 43.7%.
By destination, exports to China soared 154.4% to $16.6 billion, shipments to the United States surged 154.9% to $10.7 billion, exports to Vietnam rose 74.6% and shipments to the European Union climbed 78.2%. China, the United States and Vietnam together accounted for 52.7% of total exports.
Reuters noted that in September, South Korean exports rose 83.7%, the biggest jump since February 1974, with the monthly value topping $120 billion for the first time. Combined exports from January 1 through October 20 came to $876.3 billion, up 59.5% from a year earlier, with a cumulative trade surplus of $266.9 billion, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported, citing the customs data.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 釜山港集装箱码头（资料图），Niels Johannes 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）
