Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) announced on November 1 that Korea’s exports in October 2025 rose 3.6 percent year-on-year to USD 59.6 billion, the highest on record for October, while imports fell 1.5 percent to $53.5 billion. The trade surplus stood at $6.1 billion, bringing the cumulative surplus for January–October to $56.4 billion and surpassing the total for 2024.

Despite fewer working days during the Chuseok holiday, exports grew for the fifth consecutive month, and average daily exports climbed 14 percent to $3.0 billion, reaching an all-time high. Semiconductor exports increased 25.4 percent to $15.7 billion, driven by strong demand for high-value memory such as HBM and DDR5. Ship exports, including offshore plants, soared 131.2 percent to $4.7 billion, while petroleum product exports rose 12.7 percent to $3.8 billion.

By region, exports to Latin America nearly doubled (up 99 percent) to $4.7 billion—a record level led by large offshore plant deliveries—and exports to the CIS climbed 34.4 percent to $1.3 billion, marking eight straight months of growth. Exports to the United States declined 16.2 percent to $8.7 billion due to tariff-related challenges, while exports to China and ASEAN also fell slightly. Exports to Taiwan jumped 46 percent to a record $5.2 billion on strong semiconductor demand.

MOTIR Minister Kim Jung-kwan stated, “Semiconductors and ships drove export growth for the fifth consecutive month. With the recent Korea-U.S. agreement on detailed tariff negotiations, Korea’s key export items—including automobiles, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals—will no longer face disadvantages in the U.S. market. The government will ensure that this agreement and related financial measures create new growth opportunities for Korean industries.”