What drove South Korea's record current account surplus in June?

Strong semiconductor exports were the main driver, with the goods account producing a $47.89 billion surplus. Overall exports rose 84.5 percent on-year to $112.37 billion, and information technology exports climbed 160.4 percent.

How big was South Korea's current account surplus in June and the first half of the year?

The June surplus came to $49.73 billion, the largest monthly figure on record. For January through June, the cumulative surplus reached $191.01 billion, also a record and well above the BOK's earlier $151.5 billion projection.

How long has South Korea kept its current account in surplus?

South Korea has posted a current account surplus every month since May 2023. June was the 38th consecutive month in the black, and 2025's annual surplus reached a record $123.05 billion.

Korea posts record-high current account surplus again in June on strong chip exports

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Summary

Korea posted a record-high current account surplus in June, driven by strong semiconductor exports, according to Bank of Korea data. The surplus reached $49.73 billion, the largest monthly reading ever, and the country has now logged a surplus for 38 straight months since May 2023. The first-half surplus totaled $191.01 billion, also a record, and was close to the BOK's $250 billion annual target.

Key Facts

The June current account surplus was $49.73 billion, up from $38.61 billion in May and $13.97 billion a year earlier.
The surplus marked the 38th consecutive month that South Korea's current account stayed in the black, starting in May 2023.
The goods account surplus reached $47.89 billion, while exports rose 84.5 percent on-year to $112.37 billion and imports increased 38.6 percent to about $64.48 billion.
Information technology exports jumped 160.4 percent from a year earlier, including a 196.9 percent rise in chip shipments and a 282.7 percent increase in computer peripherals.
The primary income account posted a $3.27 billion surplus, while the services account ran a $1.29 billion deficit and the travel account posted a $440 million surplus.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 6, 2026 8:15 am KST
Updated Aug 6, 2026 10:54 am KST

Containers are stacked at a port in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, July 24. Yonhap

Korea's current account surplus continued its all-time high record-breaking streak in June, driven by strong exports of semiconductors, central bank data showed Thursday.

The surplus totaled $49.73 billion in June, up from the previous record of $38.61 billion in May, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

It marked the largest monthly current account surplus ever and followed up on unprecedented performance for the second consecutive month.

Compared with the same month a year earlier, the figure surged from $13.97 billion.

South Korea has reported a current account surplus every month since May 2023, making June the 38th consecutive month the balance has been in the black.

For the first six months of the year, current account surplus totaled a cumulative $191.01 billion, marking the largest half-year surplus on record.

The reading is far larger than the BOK's earlier projection of $151.5 billion for the six-month period and nearing the annual target of $250 billion.

In 2025, the country posted its largest annual surplus on record at $123.05 billion, exceeding the previous high of $105.1 billion set in 2015.

The goods account posted a surplus of $47.89 billion in June, marking the largest monthly record, as exports surged 84.5 percent on-year to $112.37 billion, surpassing $100 billion for the first time. Imports went up 38.6 percent to about $64.48 billion.

Exports of information technology products skyrocketed 160.4 percent from a year earlier, including a 196.9 percent surge in chip shipments and a 282.7 percent rise in computer peripherals.

The services account recorded a deficit of $1.29 billion in June, widening the loss from the previous month's $1.09 billion on increasing intellectual property-related payments.

The travel account logged a surplus of $440 million in June, marking the second-largest surplus following $450 million set in October 2008, thanks to a surge in foreign tourists and a decline in Korean overseas travelers amid a weakening local currency and higher jet fuel prices.

The primary income account, which includes wages of foreign workers, as well as dividend and interest income from abroad, posted a surplus of $3.27 billion on increased dividend income.

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