Exports up 86% in first 10 days of June, set new record high

Containers bound for export are stacked at a port in Busan, June 1. Yonhap

Korea's exports jumped 86 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of June, data showed Thursday, setting a new high following the robust shipments of semiconductors.

Outbound shipments reached $28.6 billion in the June 1-10 period, compared with $15.4 billion tallied in the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.

It marked the highest export value ever recorded for a 10-day period, surpassing the previous record of $25.2 billion posted in April 2026.

Adjusted for the number of working days, the daily average export volume rose 46.1 percent.

Imports went up 35.6 percent on-year to $23.4 billion over the cited period, resulting in a trade surplus of $5.28 billion, the latest findings showed.

By sector, exports of chips more than tripled to $11 billion on the back of the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

Chips accounted for 38.7 percent of total exports, up 15.1 percentage points from a year earlier.

Outbound shipments of petroleum products also rose 68.7 percent to $1.93 billion, while those of automobiles shot up 25.4 percent to $1.62 billion.

By destination, exports to China doubled to $6.18 billion, while those to the United States jumped 54.4 percent to $4.53 billion.

Shipments to Vietnam and the European Union also surged 102 percent and 46 percent, respectively, during the period.