Korea’s annual exports surpass $700 billion for first time

SEOUL, 29th December, 2025 (WAM) — The Republic of Korea’s annual exports surpassed US$700 billion for the first time on Monday, making the country the sixth in the world to reach the milestone, Yonhap News Agency reported.
The Republic of Korea followed the United States, Germany, China, Japan and the Netherlands in surpassing the milestone, according to data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and the Korea Customs Service.
While Korea was the seventh country globally to reach $600 billion in annual exports in 2018, it became the sixth to hit the $700 billion mark, a sign of faster export growth compared with other major economies, the ministry said.
The ministry attributed the strong performance to robust shipments of semiconductors, along with key products such as automobiles, ships and bio-related goods.
Exports by small and medium-sized enterprises hit record highs in both value and number of companies through September, the ministry said.