South Korea's Exports Extend Chip-Led Growth in August
By Kwanwoo Jun
South Korea's semiconductor-led export surge extended into August at a stronger-than-expected pace, showing few signs that artificial-intelligence-driven demand for chips is cooling.
Asia's fourth-largest economy continues to benefit from the AI boom as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the world's two largest memory-chip makers, expect supply to remain tight amid strong demand for AI infrastructure.
Exports rose 68.7% from a year earlier to $98.26 billion, following a revised 63.0% gain in July, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
That beat the median forecast for 62.0% growth in a Wall Street Journal survey of 13 economists.
Imports rose 22.5% to $63.51 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $34.75 billion in August--wider than a revised $30.39 billion surplus in July.
Semiconductors, which account for more than a third of South Korea's exports by value this year, continued to drive the gains.
Chip exports tripled from a year earlier to a record $46.65 billion in August, after reaching $41 billion in July and $45 billion in June, the ministry said.
Write to Kwanwoo Jun at kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 31, 2026 20:40 ET (00:40 GMT)
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