SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – The Bank of Korea announced that South Korea’s current account surplus hit an all-time high of $49.73 billion in June, driven by a significant rise in semiconductor exports. This marks a notable jump from the previous record of $38.61 billion set in May. The nation’s streak of current account surpluses has now extended to 38 consecutive months. The surge was primarily fueled by robust goods exports, with technology shipments leading the growth in overseas sales.
For the first half of the year, the cumulative current account surplus reached $191.01 billion, establishing a new record for January through June. This figure is substantially higher than the $47.87 billion recorded during the same period last year. The total for the first half of 2025 even surpassed South Korea’s entire 2025 surplus of $123.05 billion. The acceleration in export growth was supported by rising global demand for semiconductors and other information technology products, boosting the country’s trade performance.
South Korea’s goods account posted a record surplus of $47.89 billion for June. Exports measured under balance-of-payments standards climbed 84.5% year-over-year to reach $112.37 billion, while imports increased by 38.6% to $64.48 billion in the same month. The widening gap between export and import growth contributed significantly to the record-high goods balance and was the largest component of the overall current account surplus.
Chip exports fuel technological growth
Exports of semiconductors soared by 196.9% compared to the previous year, marking the highest increase among key technology sectors. Exports of computer peripherals jumped 282.7%, while total information technology exports grew by 160.4% during June. The rise in computer peripheral exports was partly due to shipments of solid-state drives and related equipment. Non-technology exports also saw an 18.6% increase, with petroleum and chemical products among the categories that experienced higher shipment volumes compared with June 2025.
Additional customs data indicated South Korea’s total exports for June reached $102.25 billion, a 70.9% rise from the previous year. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources reported semiconductor exports of approximately $44.82 billion for the month. Imports increased by 30.1% to $66.10 billion, leading to a customs trade surplus of $36.15 billion. It’s important to note that customs trade figures differ from balance-of-payments data due to variations in accounting methodologies and coverage standards.
Services deficit partially offsets trade gains
In June, the services account experienced a $1.29 billion deficit, which somewhat offset the large surplus generated from goods trade. The travel sector yielded a $440 million surplus, marking its second consecutive month of positive results. Additionally, the primary income account posted a $3.27 billion surplus, with dividend income contributing $2.56 billion of that total. The financial account also saw a $46.71 billion increase in net assets.
Trade figures for July indicate ongoing growth following June’s record current account surplus. South Korean exports for July reached $98.89 billion, representing a 62.8% increase from the previous year. Exports of semiconductors surged by 179%, while imports rose 26.5% to $68.56 billion. The country recorded a $30.32 billion customs trade surplus in July, further extending the strong export trend that supported the record surplus reported in the previous month.