Exports totaled $50.4 billion from Apr. 1–20. For this period, it was the highest April performance on record. As expected, semiconductor exports drove overall exports.
According to the "exports and imports from Apr. 1–20" that the Korea Customs Service released on the 21st, exports from the 1st to the 20th were tallied at $50.376 billion, up 49.4% from a year earlier. For April, this was the second-highest 1–20 day exports on record after April 2022 ($36.4 billion). However, it was smaller than the $53.7 billion recorded from Mar. 1–20.
Semiconductors led the overall performance. Semiconductor exports jumped 182.5% to $18.286 billion. Petroleum products and computer peripherals rose 48.4% and 399% to $3.185 billion and $2.2 billion, respectively. In contrast, passenger cars and auto parts fell 14.1% and 8.8%. Semiconductors accounted for 36.3% of all export items, up 17.1 percentage points from a year earlier.
By country, exports increased to China (70.9%), the United States (51.7%), Vietnam (79.2%), the European Union (EU; 10.5%), and Taiwan (77.1%). The share of exports to the top three—China, the United States, and Vietnam—was 51.8%, up 4.8 percentage points.
Meanwhile, imports from the 1st to the 20th rose 17.7% to $39.934 billion. Imports of semiconductors (58.3%), crude oil (13.1%), and semiconductor manufacturing equipment (63.3%) increased significantly, while machinery (-0.6%) decreased. Energy imports such as crude oil, gas, and coal increased 6.8%. The trade balance, which subtracts imports from exports, was $10.442 billion.
Although the "Middle East war" continues, Korea's recent exports are maintaining a strong trend thanks to the semiconductor boom. Exports last month rose 48.3% to $86.13 billion, marking the highest monthly performance on record.