South Korea Posts Record $36.2 Billion Trade Surplus as Semiconductor Exports Surge 71%
South Korea's provisional trade surplus hit a record high of $36.15 billion in June, more than tripling from $27.04 billion in May, driven by massive exports of semiconductors used in artificial intelligence data centers. Total exports surged 70.9% year-over-year to $61.8 billion, marking the largest annual gain since October 1978. Imports also climbed 30.1%, surpassing the 26.3% poll forecast and underscoring the broader pace of industrial activity.
Provincial data posted Tuesday shows that memory chip exports led the trade surge. Exports of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) jumped to $21.8 billion, up 385% from a year ago, while exports of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and solid-state drives (SSDs) surged 171% and 355% respectively. Unit prices for the components also remained elevated; DRAM exports averaged $74,687 per kilogram and HBM reached $94,132 per kilogram, both up more than 100% year-over-year despite slight month-over-month dips.
From the sources (8 posts)
@financialjuiceS. Korea June imports surge 30.1% y/y: Poll forecast 26.3%
@financialjuiceS.Korea June exports post biggest annual gain since October 1978
@financialjuiceS.Korea June trade surplus provisional $36.15 billion vs $27.04 billion in May
@financialjuiceS.Korea June exports surge 70.9% y/y, poll had forecast 61.0%
@financialjuiceS. Korea June trade surplus hits record-high monthly level
@businessSouth Korea’s exports extended their strong run in June, highlighting the durability of the semiconductor boom that is underpinning growth.
@jukan05@blondesnmoney Looks like the decline in export unit prices had an impact.
@jukan05Korea Semiconductor Exports | June 2026 [Export Value] - DRAM (including modules): Export value of $21,846mn, Y/Y +385%, M/M +17% - DRAM (excluding modules): Export value of $11,176mn, Y/Y +388%, M/M -2% - Flash memory (NAND): Export valu