South Korea exports in October: 115 billion dollars, chips up 259%

SUNDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 2026

Korean exports rise 93.7% in October, 76.1% net of the extra working days. Semiconductors make up almost half of the total: what to consider in orders of products with electronics.

South Korea exports reached 115.28 billion dollars in October, up 93.7% on a year earlier, according to preliminary data released on 1 November by the trade ministry in Seoul. Almost half of the value comes from semiconductors, which rose to 56.44 billion: a signal worth reading for anyone buying products with electronic components.

South Korea exports: the October figures

The data covers trade in goods, in dollars, and is a preliminary estimate. The comparison with October 2025 is distorted by the calendar: last year the Chuseok holiday fell in October, this year in September. October 2026 had 22 working days, two more.

• October exports: 115.28 billion dollars, up 93.7% on October 2025; September had reached 121.1 billion, the monthly record.
• Average exports per working day: 5.24 billion dollars, up 76.1% on the same month of 2025.
• Semiconductors: 56.44 billion dollars, up 259.4% on October 2025, about 49% of the month's exports.
• Imports: 72.78 billion dollars, up 36% on October 2025; trade surplus of 42.5 billion.
• Cumulative January-October exports: 930 billion dollars, never this high in the first ten months.

Growth adjusted for working days, up 76.1%, is the most useful measure of the underlying trend: it stays very high even without the holiday effect.

Chips and servers for artificial intelligence

The ministry credits the result to global demand for semiconductors and to investment by big technology groups in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Chip exports exceeded 50 billion dollars for the second month in a row.

Other items grew too: petroleum products at 6.92 billion dollars (up 80%), cars at 6.55 billion (up 18.1%), petrochemicals at 4 billion (up 27.5%), cosmetics at 1.44 billion (up 57.5%). But chips weigh so much that the month's trend depends mostly on them.

The dollar figure does not separate quantities from prices: a 259% increase can come from more units shipped, from higher unit prices or from both, and the official releases do not break down the two components.

Where Korean exports go

By destination, sales to China rose to 26.98 billion dollars (up 133.6%), to the United States to 24.9 billion (up 185.8%), to Southeast Asia to 21.33 billion (up 128%). Exports to the European Union were 8.1 billion dollars, up 56.4%: about 7% of the month's total, by our calculation on ministry data.

Minister Kim Jung-kwan now considers it certain that annual exports will pass 1 trillion dollars by November. He also noted that many Korean small and medium-sized firms are still struggling with protectionism, the reshaping of supply chains and tensions in the Middle East.

What it means for importers

South Korea is not the main sourcing market for companies importing consumer goods into Europe, but it is one of the world's leading producers of memory chips. The data does not prove that electronic components are becoming more expensive or scarcer for everyone. It does signal that a growing share of semiconductor output is absorbed by artificial intelligence servers, and that Asian consumer electronics factories are buying in a market with very strong demand.

For anyone importing from China or Asia products with memory or electronics inside (power banks, USB sticks, tech promotional gadgets, small appliances) it is worth taking into account in orders for the coming months. Three practical steps: ask the supplier how long the quote stays valid and whether the price of the electronic components is fixed; check the lead times of the parts in advance, not only those of assembly; for spring orders, compare several offers before confirming, because a rise in component costs usually reaches the final price a few weeks later.

For products without electronics the Korean data says little: it should not be extended to textiles, housewares or plastic items.

What to watch in the coming months

The ministry expects to pass the 1 trillion annual threshold during November. The next monthly figures will show whether the chip surge continues with a comparable calendar, without the Chuseok holiday effect.

With La Merce, an order of electronic gadgets or promotional items with memory starts from a quote with its validity and component prices written down in black and white, now that semiconductors make up 49% of Korean exports and have grown by 259% in a year.

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