South Korea Balance of Trade

Last Release

Sep 30, 2025

Actual

9,560

Units In

USD Million

6,510

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Nov 01, 2025

Time to Release

26 Days 18 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
13,419.36 Sep 2017	-12,650 Jan 2023	1,157.19 USD Million	1966-2025	N/A

South Korea remained as a net exporter for the 11th consecutive year in 2019 with a trade surplus of USD 39.2 billion, despite a downturn in semiconductors, petrochemicals, and petroleum products industry and challenges such as the US-China trade dispute, Japan’s restrictions on exports, Brexit, and Hong Kong protests.

Latest Updates

South Korea's trade surplus widened to USD 9.56 billion in September 2025, up from USD 6.66 billion in the same month a year earlier, and exceeding market expectations of USD 7.81 billion. It marked the largest trade surplus since September 2018, as exports grew more sharply than imports, according to preliminary data. Exports surged 12.7% year-on-year, well above expectations of 7.2% and sharply accelerating from a downwardly revised 1.2% gain in August. This marked the fourth consecutive month of export growth and the fastest pace since July 2024, driven by robust demand for semiconductors—the country’s top export item—which soared 22.0% year-on-year to a record USD 16.6 billion. Meanwhile, imports rose 8.2% in September, rebounding from a 0.4% decline in August and beating market forecasts of a 5.6% increase, marking the strongest growth since July 2024 amid the government's effort to boost domestic demand.