South Korea's Semiconductor Exports Surge 102.7% in January, Driving Total Exports to Record High

According to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea, the country's exports in January 2026 reached $65.85 billion, with a year-on-year increase of 33.9%, surpassing $60 billion for the first time and setting a new historical record. Among these, semiconductor export performed particularly strongly, with export value reaching $20.5 billion in January, a year-on-year increase of 102.7%, marking the second consecutive month that export have exceeded $20 billion. The Ministry of Science and ICT of South Korea analyzed that the growth in semiconductors is primarily attributed to the expanding demand for high-value-added memory chips and the continuous price increase of general-purpose semiconductors such as DRAM. Driven by the global AI boom, South Korea's semiconductor industry, represented by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, has emerged as a major beneficiary.