S. Korea’s exports double in 1st 20 days of Oct on robust chip shipments

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IANS | 21 Oct, 2026

South Korea's exports more than doubled during the first 20 days of October, customs data showed on Wednesday, amid the robust shipments of semiconductors.

Outbound shipments reached $61.6 billion in the October 1-20 period, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.

It marked the highest figure for the first 20 days of October on record, reports Yonhap news agency.

The daily average export value in terms of business days also reached $4.74 billion, the highest for the first 20 days of any month.

Imports went up 42.8 percent on-year to $47.1 billion over the cited period, resulting in a trade surplus of $14.5 billion.

By sector, exports of chips vaulted 222.5 percent to $27.5 billion to set a fresh record for the 20-day period of October, leading the overall gains.

The portion of chips in South Korea's total exports came to 44.7 percent, up 16.2 percentage points from a year earlier.

Outbound shipments of petroleum products rose 68.3 percent to $3.94 billion, while those of automobiles increased 40.9 percent to $3.35 billion.

Exports of steel products climbed 42.6 percent to $2.58 billion.

By destination, exports to China soared 154.4 percent to $16.6 billion, and those to the United States surged 154.9 percent to $10.7 billion.

Shipments to Vietnam and the European Union rose 74.6 percent and 78.2 percent, respectively.

The combined exports from January 1 through Tuesday came to $876.3 billion, soaring 59.5 percent from a year earlier. The total trade surplus so far this year came to $266.9 billion, the latest report showed.

Meanwhile, producer prices rose for the second consecutive month in September driven by higher prices of agricultural goods during the Chuseok season, central bank data showed on Wednesday.

The producer price index (PPI), a key gauge of future consumer inflation, increased 0.2 percent last month from a month earlier, following a 0.1 percent on-month gain in August, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). In July, the index fell for the first time since August 2025.