As Korea's exports in the first quarter hit an all-time high, the "concentration" in a handful of large corporations also deepened to a record level. The boom in semiconductors concentrated strong export performance in large corporations.
According to the "preliminary results of trade statistics by corporate characteristics for the first quarter of 2026" that the Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) and the Korea Customs Service released on the 21st, first-quarter exports totaled $219.9 billion, up 37.8% from a year earlier.
By corporate size, large corporations exported $158.5 billion, up 52.7%, while mid-sized corporations recorded $31.3 billion (7.4%) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) posted $29.1 billion (19.7%). As large corporations' exports exceeded those of SMEs by more than five times, the concentration effect intensified.
In particular, the trade concentration of the top 10 corporations by export value in the first quarter (50.1%) increased by 13.5 percentage points from a year earlier. The trade concentration of the top 100 corporations (73.4%) rose by 7.2 percentage points. These are the highest levels since related quarterly statistics began in 2010. A Ministry of Data and Statistics (MODS) official said, "It appears that the boom in semiconductors has increased the concentration of exports among large corporations."
By industry, exports of mining and manufacturing totaled $610.1 billion, up 5.1%. Electric and electronic products (80.6%) and metal products (20%) were strong, while textiles and apparel (-1.1%) declined. Wholesale and retail rose 9.8%, and other industries increased 6.4%. By type of goods, capital goods exports reached $113.3 billion, up 8.6%, and raw materials were $33.1 billion, up 12.3%. But consumer goods (-10.3%) decreased.