SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) -South Korea posted a record for first 20-day monthly exports in December, driven by a 42-percent jump in chip shipments that now account for nearly a third of total exports, customs-cleared preliminary data showed Monday.
According to the Korea Customs Service, exports for Dec. 1–20 climbed 6.8 percent from a year earlier to US$43.03 billion, marking a fresh record for the first 20-day period.
Average daily exports, adjusted for working days, rose 3.6 percent to US$2.61 billion. At a daily average of about US$2.6 billion for the full year, annual exports are on track to set a new milestone of US$700 billion.
Semiconductors led the gains, jumping 41.8 percent. Chips accounted for 27.1 percent of total exports, up 6.7 percentage points from a year earlier.
Semiconductor exports have risen for nine consecutive months through November, supported by strong demand for high-value memory used in artificial intelligence data centers and by higher memory prices.
Computer peripherals surged 49.1 percent, while wireless communications equipment rose 17.8 percent. Passenger car and ship exports fell 12.7 percent and 21.7 percent, respectively.
Shipments to the United States slipped 1.7 percent, weighed down by higher tariffs. Exports increased to China by 6.5 percent, Vietnam by 20.4 percent and Taiwan by 9.6 percent.
Imports totaled US$39.21 billion, up 0.7 percent from a year earlier.
By item, imports of semiconductors rose 11.8 percent, machinery 3.5 percent and precision instruments 12.5 percent, while crude oil fell 3.2 percent and gas declined 15.0 percent. By source, imports from China rose 3.9 percent, the United States 14.7 percent and Taiwan 12.8 percent, while those from the European Union fell 3.8 percent and Japan 2.3 percent.
The trade surplus so far in December stood at US$3.8 billion.
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