Korea's 2026 Exports Top Last Year's Record With 117 Days to Spare

President Lee Jae-myung said on the 5th that South Korea's cumulative exports this year have surpassed last year's full-year total, setting an all-time high.

Lee shared on X, formerly Twitter, a report from Korea Customs Service Commissioner Lee Jong-wook stating that "as of 1 p.m. on the 5th, cumulative exports this year reached $704.9 billion, exceeding last year's record annual exports of $709.3 billion."

The commissioner reported to the president that "cumulative exports this year broke through last year's annual performance 117 days ahead of schedule, marking an all-time high," adding that "our exports are sustaining remarkable growth even amid an uncertain trade environment marked by intensifying protectionism, the restructuring of global supply chains and the situation in the Middle East."

He also said that "if the current solid export momentum continues, annual exports of $1 trillion are expected to be achieved around early December," noting that "only three countries — the United States, China and Germany — have exported more than $1 trillion in a single year."

The export gains were led by semiconductors and their upstream and downstream industries. Semiconductor exports rose 169.9% in the January-August period from a year earlier. Exports of computer peripherals jumped 262.2%, petroleum products 40.7%, wireless communication devices 28.1% and ships 12.4%.