In brief
In October, South Korea’s exports almost doubled, reaching $115.28 billion, largely due to a 259.4% jump in semiconductor sales and a 496.6% rise in PC sales tied to AI‑related server demand. Imports rose 36% to $72.78 billion, pushing the trade surplus to $42.5 billion.
South Korea’s exports almost doubled in October, climbing 93.7% to $115.28 billion, the biggest rise in more than five decades, said the Saudi Press Agency. The spike is linked to a surge in global demand for AI-related semiconductors.
Chemical and technology companies in Seoul are shipping more chips as AI companies worldwide upgrade their hardware. Semiconductor exports jumped 259.4% to $56.44 billion.
The ministry of trade told reporters: “مبيعات أشباه الموصلات في الخارج قفزت 259.4% في أكتوبر إلى 56.44 مليار دولار”.
Personal computers also saw a dramatic rise, up 496.6%, as businesses bought more servers to run AI services.
Imports also climbed, up 36% to $72.78 billion, after a 26% increase in September. Analysts cite higher oil prices and stronger demand for semiconductor equipment and vehicles as the main causes.
Despite the larger import surge, the country logged a trade surplus of $42.5 billion in October, down from $49.97 billion in September but still a healthy margin for the Republic.
From January to October, Korea’s total exports totaled $930 billion, underscoring the country’s growing role in the AI hardware ecosystem.
