Source : WAM
Exports from the Republic of Korea fell 2.3 percent year-on-year in the first 10 days of January, despite strong overseas demand for semiconductors, official data released Monday showed.
According to the Korea Customs Service, outbound shipments totaled U.S.$15.55 billion between January 1 and 10, down from US$15.92 billion recorded during the same period last year.
However, average daily exports increased 4.7 percent year-on-year to U.S.$2.22 billion, supported by a reduced number of working days. There were seven working days during the period, compared with 7.5 days a year earlier.
Yonhap News Agency reported that imports declined 4.5 percent year-on-year to U.S.$18.21 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of U.S.$2.7 billion for the 10-day period.
Semiconductor exports surged 45.6 percent from a year earlier to U.S.$4.64 billion, accounting for 29.9 percent of the country’s total exports during the period. This marked an increase of 9.8 percentage points from the same period last year.
In contrast, automobile exports dropped 24.7 percent year-on-year to U.S.$1.01 billion, while ship exports fell 12.7 percent to US$923 million. Steel product shipments also declined sharply, plunging 18.7 percent to U.S.$976 million.
In December, exports grew 13.4 percent year-on-year to US$69.6 billion, driven by strong semiconductor demand, extending the country’s streak of annual export growth to 11 consecutive months.
For 2025, total outbound shipments reached a record high of US$709.7 billion, exceeding the US$700 billion threshold for the first time.
