South Korea just posted the kind of export numbers that make economists do a double take. The country’s outbound shipments jumped 53.2% in May, powered by a semiconductor sector that has effectively become the national growth engine.
The numbers behind the chip explosion
Data from the first 20 days of May tells the story. Adjusted exports hit $52.65 billion, a 52.6% increase year-over-year. But the real headline lives inside the semiconductor line item: chip exports surged 202.1% to reach $22 billion during that same window.
This wasn’t a one-month anomaly either. In April, semiconductor shipments totaled $31.9 billion, representing a 173% year-over-year increase.
SK Hynix and Samsung are running the show
