South Korea’s export engine is running hot, and semiconductors are doing most of the heavy lifting. Preliminary data for the first 20 days of June shows exports climbing 49.7% year-over-year on a working-day adjusted basis, with semiconductor shipments alone skyrocketing 188.4%.
A record-breaking May set the stage
June’s numbers build on what was already a historic month. In May 2026, South Korea posted total exports of $87.75B, a 53.2% increase year-over-year and a new all-time record. Chip exports accounted for $37.16B of that total, up 169.4% from the prior year.
To put that in perspective, semiconductors represented roughly 42% of all Korean exports in May. In early June, that share hovered between 38% and 40%.
Samsung and SK Hynix are betting big
