SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – In June, South Korea’s current account surplus soared to a historic $49.73 billion, propelled by a significant rise in semiconductor exports. The Bank of Korea indicated a notable jump from the previous record of $38.61 billion set in May. This month also marked the continuation of the country’s current account surplus streak for 38 straight months. The primary driver behind this growth was robust goods exports, with technology shipments spearheading the surge in international sales.
For the first half of the year, the surplus reached $191.01 billion, setting a new record for January through June. This compares to $47.87 billion in the same period last year. The total even surpassed South Korea’s entire 2025 surplus of $123.05 billion. During this period, export growth accelerated, supported by strong global demand for semiconductors and other information technology products, which boosted the nation’s trade results.
South Korea’s goods account achieved a record surplus of $47.89 billion in June. Goods exports, measured by balance-of-payments standards, increased by 84.5% year-over-year to $112.37 billion. Meanwhile, imports grew by 38.6% to $64.48 billion within the same month. The widening gap between export and import growth helped push the goods balance to its highest monthly level and made the largest contribution to the overall current account surplus.
Tech exports lead the surge in semiconductor shipments
Exports of semiconductors jumped 196.9% from a year earlier, representing the strongest growth among major technology categories. Exports of computer peripherals rose 282.7%, while total information technology exports increased by 160.4% during June. The rise was partly driven by shipments of solid-state drives and related equipment. Additionally, non-technology exports advanced 18.6%, with petroleum and chemical products among the categories that saw higher shipment volumes compared to June 2025.
Customs data separately revealed that South Korean exports totaled $102.25 billion in June, up 70.9% from the same month last year. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources reported semiconductor exports of roughly $44.82 billion for the month. Imports, on the other hand, increased 30.1% to $66.10 billion, resulting in a customs trade surplus of $36.15 billion. It is important to note that customs trade figures differ from balance-of-payments data because they employ distinct accounting methods and coverage standards.
Services sector deficit partly offsets trade gains
In June, the services account registered a $1.29 billion deficit, somewhat counteracting the large surplus generated by goods trade. The travel account posted a $440 million surplus, marking its second month in a row in positive territory. The primary income account contributed a $3.27 billion surplus for the month, with dividend income accounting for $2.56 billion of this total. Meanwhile, the financial account experienced a $46.71 billion increase in net assets.
Trade figures for July continued the positive trend seen in June’s record current account. South Korea’s exports amounted to $98.89 billion, reflecting a 62.8% increase from the previous year. Semiconductor exports surged by 179%, and imports rose 26.5% to $68.56 billion. The country achieved a $30.32 billion customs trade surplus in July, further reinforcing the strong export performance that helped sustain the record current account surplus reported in June.