South Korea’s exports reached a record $98.3 billion for August 2026, rising 68.7% from a year earlier as strong semiconductor demand drove shipments. Exports exceeded $90 billion for the third consecutive month, while imports increased 22.4% to $63.5 billion. The trade surplus was $34.8 billion, marking a surplus above $30 billion for a third straight month and extending the surplus streak to 19 months. Exports have grown for 15 consecutive months. Information and communication technology (ICT) exports accounted for more than 60% of total exports for the first time, reaching a record $59.98 billion, up 162.6% year over year. Semiconductor exports rose 209% to $46.67 billion, including a 290.2% increase in memory semiconductor exports to $40.94 billion, while enterprise solid-state drive (SSD) exports for AI servers climbed 479.5% to $5.98 billion. ICT imports rose 48.8% to $18.61 billion, producing a record ICT trade surplus of $41.37 billion. Separately, South Korea’s export prices rose 42.4% in August, while computer, electronic and optical equipment prices increased 113.2%.