Muscat: South Korea's exports jumped 43.7 percent in the first ten days of May 2026 compared with the same period last year, driven by robust overseas demand for semiconductors.

According to Oman News Agency, export value reached $18.4 billion from 1 to 10 May 2026, up from $12.8 billion a year earlier, citing the Korea Customs Service. Imports rose 14.9 percent year-on-year to $16.7 billion over the same period, yielding a trade surplus of $1.7 billion, the latest data showed.

Semiconductor exports surged 149.8 percent year-on-year to a record $8.54 billion, fueled by continued increases in memory chip prices amid strong demand for AI servers. Chips accounted for 46.3 percent of South Korea's total exports during the period, a rise of 19.7 percentage points from the same period last year (2025).