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South Korea just crossed a line it had never touched before. The country’s exports hit $710 billion in 2025, smashing past the $700 billion mark for the first time ever. The reason is chips; mountains of them too. Korea’s government said semiconductor shipments reached $173 billion last year, up from $142 billion in 2024. That’s a 22.2% jump in one year. The export engine stayed hot through December. On a working-day basis, exports were 8.7% higher than last December. That followed an already strong 13.3% rise in November. Unadjusted figures looked even better, with exports up 13.4% and imports rising 4.6%. That gave South Korea a $12.2 billion trade surplus to cap off the year. Chip boom offsets car weakness and tariff worries for South Korea South Koreea’s trade ministry said semiconductors were the main force, surging by 43.2% in December alone, and linked directly to growing orders for AI tools and data centers, both of which chew through chips like candy. But while chips soared, automobiles didn’t. Car exports slipped 1.5%. Officials blamed it on more overseas production and last year’s unusually high numbers. Other sectors helped fill the gap. Petrochemical shipments rose 6.8%, while bio exports jumped 22.4%. And across-the-board gains showed up in newer export categories too. The ministry said:- “In 2025, South Korea’s exports remained anchored by solid gains in core industries such as semiconductors, automobiles, and shipbuilding, while electrical equipment, agricultural and fishery products, and cosmetics delivered record performances, emerging as new drivers of growth.” By region, China remained the largest buyer, importing 10.1% more than a year ago. Exports to the United States were up 3.8%. Shipments to ASEAN countries surged 27.6%, while the Middle East rose 25.5%. This gave exporters some breathing room after a rough year spent haggling with Washington over trade…

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Filed under: News - @ January 1, 2026 12:26 pm