Despite policy uncertainties like U.S. tariff hikes, South Korea’s ICT exports in July reached an all-time synchronism high, with semiconductor exports hitting new records for the fourth straight month.
Data from South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT (Aug 13) shows July ICT exports rose 14.5% YoY to $22.19 billion; imports grew 9.8% to $13.32 billion, resulting in an $8.87 billion trade surplus.
Key product trends: Semiconductors surged 31.2%, communication devices +4.6%; while displays (-8.9%), mobile phones (-21.7%), and computers/peripherals (-17.1%) declined.
Semiconductor growth was driven by rising memory prices and strong demand for high-value products like HBM and DDR5. Communication device gains stemmed from U.S. military demand and Japanese 5G needs. Display drops reflected downstream uncertainty; mobile exports fell due to fewer components but were partially offset by strong finished-product shipments.
By region: Exports to the U.S. (+11.9%), Vietnam (+16.4%), EU (+18.0%), and Japan (+23.9%) grew, while those to China (including Hong Kong) fell 5.6%.
July ICT imports rose 9.8% to $12.13 billion, led by semiconductors (+9.2%), mobile phones (+19.3%), and computers/peripherals (+15.6%). Among the latter, AI-driven demand spiked imports of data center GPUs ($60 million, +749.7%) and mid-to-large computers (+39.9%).
ICgoodFind: South Korea’s semiconductor exports thrive on high-value products, with notable regional divergence in trade flows.
