Home > Business > Economy

Exports rise 14.9% in first 20 days of January on robust chip demand

Published: 21 Jan. 2026, 11:13 Updated: 21 Jan. 2026, 14:38

Construction site of semiconductor cluster in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 20. [YONHAP]

Korea's exports expanded 14.9 percent from a year earlier in the first 20 days of this month, driven by strong demand for semiconductors, data showed Wednesday.

Outbound shipments reached $36.36 billion from Jan. 1 to 20, compared with $31.63 billion tallied over the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.

Imports increased 4.2 percent on year to $36.98 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $600 million, the data showed.

The daily average volume of exports also advanced 14.9 percent on year, as the number of working days during the period remained unchanged at 14.5 days from a year earlier.

By item, exports of semiconductors surged 70.2 percent from a year earlier to $10.73 billion. Chip exports accounted for 29.5 percent of the country's total exports over the cited period, up 9.6 percentage points from the same period last year.

Exports of petroleum products went up 17.6 percent to $2.46 billion, and steel exports edged up 1.2 percent to $2.4 billion.

But automobile exports sank 10.8 percent on year to $2.87 billion, while shipments of vessels dipped 18.1 percent to $1.33 billion.

By destination, exports to China, Korea's top trading partner, soared 30.2 percent on year to $8.45 billion.

Shipments to the United States jumped 19.3 percent to $6.66 billion despite the tariff scheme by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, the data showed.

In December, exports expanded 13.4 percent from a year earlier to $69.6 billion on strong demand for semiconductors, marking the 11th consecutive month of an on-year increase.

For 2025, outbound shipments reached an all-time high of $709.7 billion.

Yonhap