Exports by middle market enterprises in the third quarter of this year rose 6.9% from a year earlier. The figure is 0.4 percentage point (p) higher than Korea's overall export growth rate (6.5%) for the same period.
According to the "third-quarter 2025 trends in middle market enterprise exports" released by the Federation of Middle Market Enterprises of Korea (FOMEK) on the 27th, exports by middle market enterprises in the third quarter came to $32.29 billion (about 47.35 trillion won), up 1.0% from the previous quarter ($31.98 billion). It was the largest quarterly performance since statistics began in 2022. The share of middle market enterprises in total third-quarter exports was 17.5%, up 0.1 percentage point from a year earlier.
By industry, exports by middle market enterprises in manufacturing rose 7.0% year over year to $28.4 billion, while non-manufacturing increased 6.4% to $3.89 billion.
In manufacturing, electronics components ($9.84 billion, up 14.2%), automobiles ($3.99 billion, up 13.4%), and chemicals ($2.89 billion, up 1.5%) increased, while machinery and equipment ($2.48 billion, down 7.8%) and rubber and plastics ($1.28 billion, down 11.9%) decreased. In non-manufacturing, wholesale and retail ($2.9 billion, up 5.1%) increased, while services ($400 million, down 6.6%) declined.
By item, automobiles ($610 million, up 64.2%), ships ($660 million, up 41.8%), semiconductors ($7.82 billion, up 24.1%), fine chemicals ($2.33 billion, up 13.7%), and home appliances ($370 million, up 11.2%) showed pronounced growth.
By region, exports expanded to ASEAN ($7.71 billion, up 23.0%), Japan ($1.39 billion, up 3.0%), India ($1.03 billion, up 5.7%), and the Middle East ($920 million, up 27.8%), while they declined to China ($6.08 billion, down 14.6%), the United States ($4.7 billion, down 7.8%), and the European Union ($2.97 billion, down 24.8%).
Lee Ho-jun, executive vice chair of FOMEK, said, "Although some trade and commerce uncertainties have eased following the conclusion of the U.S.-Korea trade and security negotiations, the industry-wide transformation triggered by AI technology, the U.S.-China hegemonic rivalry, and instability in global supply chains remain major challenges," adding, "To ensure that the momentum of two consecutive quarters of export growth by middle market enterprises turns into an opportunity for a broad-based rebound across industries, we will work closely with the government and the National Assembly to build an effective policy environment, including expanding export financing, supporting diversification of export markets, and providing overseas market information."