Semiconductors Drive Korea's Biggest October Exports Despite Short Holiday Workdays
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
South Korea posted its highest-ever October export total at $59.57 billion, up 3.6% year-on-year, even though workdays fell due to the Chuseok (Korean harvest holiday). Daily average exports jumped 14% to $2.98 billion. Growth was led by semiconductors—especially high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and DDR5—pushing memory chip exports to a record October high and marking an eighth consecutive month of gains. Shipbuilding, petroleum products and SSDs also rose. However, U.S. tariffs weighed on auto, auto parts, steel and other sectors; exports to the U.S. fell 16.2% to $8.71 billion, the only major region with double-digit decline. The trade surplus widened to $6.06 billion for the month. Seoul and Washington have agreed detailed terms in a tariff deal that should ease uncertainties for Korean exporters in autos, chips and pharmaceuticals, the trade minister said.
