Exports from May 1–20 reached $52.7 billion, the largest ever for May. Semiconductor exports came to $22.0 billion, setting a record for the period and driving overall exports.
According to the "May 1–20 export-import status" released by the Korea Customs Service on the 21st, exports on the 1st–20th were tallied at $52.652 billion, up 64.8% from a year earlier. This far exceeds the previous No. 2 record of May 2022 ($38.6 billion). Taking into account the difference in working days (12.5 days in 2025 → 13.5 days in 2026), average daily exports were $3.9 billion, up 52.6% from the same period a year earlier.
By item, semiconductors led the overall performance. Semiconductor exports jumped 202.1% to $21.951 billion, setting an all-time high for this period. Semiconductors accounted for 41.7% of total exports, up 19.0 percentage points (p) from a year earlier. Petroleum products and computer peripherals rose 46.3% and 305.5% to $3.237 billion and $2.451 billion, respectively. Passenger cars, by contrast, fell 10.1%.
By country, exports increased broadly across major markets including China (96.5%), the United States (79.3%), Vietnam (70.2%), the European Union (21.7%), and Taiwan (110.4%). The top three—China, the United States, and Vietnam—accounted for 51.8% of exports.
Meanwhile, imports for the 1st–20th rose 29.3% to $41.618 billion. Imports of semiconductors (55.5%), semiconductor manufacturing equipment (116.2%), crude oil (26.4%), and petroleum products (58.6%) increased significantly. Energy imports such as crude oil, gas, and coal rose 23.9%. The trade balance, exports minus imports, showed a surplus of $11.034 billion.