Korea’s Oct. 1–20 Exports Hit a Record $61.6 Billion; Exports to China Up 154.4% to $16.6 Billion
Korea’s exports for Oct. 1–20 totaled $61.6 billion, up 105.4% from a year earlier and a record for the period, according to preliminary figures released by the Korea Customs Service on Oct. 21. Exports to China rose 154.4% to $16.6 billion. Semiconductors led the increase, and this year had 2.5 more working days than last year.
Imports for the period were $47.1 billion (+42.8%), leaving a trade surplus of $14.5 billion. There were 13 working days versus 10.5 a year earlier. Adjusted for that, average daily exports were $4.74 billion, up 65.9%. Cumulative exports this year through Oct. 20 stand at $876.3 billion.
Exports to China at $16.6 billion, growing at a pace close to the U.S.
By destination, exports to the United States rose 154.9% and those to China 154.4%, the two fastest. Shipments to the European Union rose 78.2%, Vietnam 74.6% and Taiwan 36.7%. The $16.6 billion figure for China was reported by The Korea Times, citing Yonhap.
Chips account for 44.7% of exports
Semiconductor exports were $27.5 billion, up 222.5% and a record for Oct. 1–20. Their share of total exports was 44.7%, 16.2 percentage points higher than a year earlier. Computer peripherals rose 424.0%, petroleum products 68.3% ($3.94 billion), passenger cars 40.9% ($3.35 billion) and steel 42.6% ($2.58 billion).
Oct. 1–20 trade at a glance
- Exports · Imports
- $61.6bn (+105.4%) · $47.1bn (+42.8%)
- Trade balance
- $14.5bn surplus
- Exports to China
- $16.6bn (+154.4%)
- Chip exports
- $27.5bn (+222.5%), 44.7% share
- Daily average exports
- $4.74bn (+65.9%); 13 working days (10.5 a year earlier)
Business Checkpoints
These are preliminary 20-day figures and may differ from the full-month result. A closer-to-final monthly figure will be available in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy release in early November. Because there were more working days, it is more accurate to read the total growth rate alongside the daily-average rate (65.9%).
Product- and region-level data on exports to China are available from the Korea Customs Service trade statistics and the Korea International Trade Association (KITA). Companies outside semiconductors and IT should check the trend for their own product category rather than rely on the headline growth rate.
References
- Primary data
- Korea Customs Service, preliminary Oct. 1–20 trade data (released 2026-10-21)
- Media reports
- Specialtimes (2026-10-21) · The Korea Times (2026-10-21)
- See also
- September exports to China: $26 billion
※ This article is based on the Korea Customs Service release and Korean and international media reports.
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