SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / RankWire.AI / – The Bank of Korea announced that South Korea’s current account surplus hit a historic high of $49.73 billion in June, driven primarily by a surge in semiconductor exports. This marks a significant rise from the previous record of $38.61 billion set in May. Additionally, June marked the 38th consecutive month of a current account surplus for the country. A substantial portion of this growth was attributed to robust goods exports, with technology shipments playing a key role in expanding overseas sales.
The accumulated current account surplus for the first six months of the year reached $191.01 billion, setting a new record for January through June. This figure compares to $47.87 billion during the same period last year. The first-half total also exceeded South Korea’s full-year surplus of $123.05 billion in 2025. The period saw accelerated export growth, supported by global demand for semiconductors and other information technology products, which boosted the nation’s trade performance.
South Korea’s goods account recorded a record surplus of $47.89 billion in June. Under balance-of-payments standards, goods exports increased by 84.5% year-over-year to $112.37 billion. During the same month, imports grew by 38.6%, reaching $64.48 billion. The growth differential between exports and imports contributed to pushing the goods balance to its highest monthly level and was the main factor behind the overall current account surplus.
Technology exports drive semiconductor growth
Exports of semiconductors surged 196.9% compared to a year earlier, marking the strongest increase among major technology categories. Computer peripheral exports increased by 282.7%, while overall information technology exports rose 160.4% during June. The rise in computer peripheral exports was partly due to shipments of solid-state drives and related equipment. Non-technology exports also experienced growth, increasing 18.6%, with petroleum and chemical products among the categories that saw higher shipments compared to June 2025.
Additional customs data indicated South Korean total exports hit $102.25 billion in June, reflecting a 70.9% increase from the previous year. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources reported that semiconductor exports alone reached about $44.82 billion for the month. Imports increased by 30.1% to $66.10 billion, leading to a customs trade surplus of $36.15 billion. It’s important to note that customs trade figures differ from balance-of-payments data because they utilize different accounting methods and coverage standards.
Services deficit partially offsets trade gains
In June, the services account registered a deficit of $1.29 billion, which somewhat offset the large surplus generated by goods trade. The travel sector generated a $440 million surplus, marking its second consecutive month in positive territory. The primary income account contributed a $3.27 billion surplus during the same month, with dividend income accounting for $2.56 billion of that figure. The financial account showed a net asset increase of $46.71 billion.
Trade figures for July indicated continued strength following June’s record current account surplus. South Korean exports totaled $98.89 billion in July, representing a 62.8% rise from the previous year. Semiconductor exports increased by 179%, while imports grew 26.5% to $68.56 billion. The country posted a trade surplus of $30.32 billion for July, extending the export momentum that contributed to the record current account surplus reported in June.