SEOUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's monthly exports topped 100 billion U.S. dollars for the first time in June due to soaring demand for locally-made semiconductors, government data showed Wednesday.
The outbound shipment, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, jumped 70.9 percent from a year earlier to 102.25 billion dollars in June, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
It marked the first time in the country's history that the monthly export surpassed 100 billion dollars, making it the world's fourth country to exceed 100 billion dollars in monthly exports, following Germany, China and the United States, the ministry noted.
The daily average export surged 59.5 percent to 4.54 billion dollars, breaking records for two straight months.
Imports gained 30.1 percent to 66.10 billion dollars last month, sending the trade surplus to 36.15 billion dollars.
Of the country's 20 major export items, 18 products saw a growth in outbound shipments.
Semiconductor exports skyrocketed 199.5 percent to reach an all-time high of 44.82 billion dollars, topping 40 billion dollars for the first time.
The record chip shipment was driven by surging demand for memory chips used in artificial intelligence (AI) chipsets.
Computer exports spiked 308.8 percent to 5.41 billion dollars thanks to robust demand for solid state drives (SSDs) used in AI servers.
Mobile phone shipment advanced 51.9 percent to 1.55 billion dollars on strong demand for new smartphones, and display panel exports expanded 37.0 percent to 1.54 billion dollars.
Automotive exports increased 5.8 percent to 6.71 billion dollars owing to stable supply of auto parts, but auto parts shipment declined 2.4 percent to 1.74 billion dollars amid the expanded overseas production.
Exports of ships mounted 12.9 percent to 2.83 billion dollars on the back of rising delivery of LNG carriers.
Shipments of oil products grew 49.8 percent to 5.59 billion dollars amid higher oil prices, and petrochemical exports swelled 18.8 percent to 4.07 billion dollars.
Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, averaged 79.45 dollars per barrel in June, up 14.7 percent compared to the same month of last year.
Steel products export climbed 9.6 percent to 2.14 billion dollars amid the increased construction of AI data centers, while non-ferrous metal products shipment spiked 45.8 percent to 1.82 billion dollars on higher demand for copper and aluminum.
General machinery shipment rose 7.5 percent to 4.08 billion dollars, marking the first rebound in five months, while cosmetics export jumped 42.5 percent to 1.34 billion dollars.
Exports to the United States surged 78.6 percent to 20.02 billion dollars on the back of robust demand for chips and computers.
Shipments to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) jumped 86.6 percent to 18.30 billion dollars, while export to the European Union (EU) picked up 31.8 percent to 7.62 billion dollars.
Exports to the Middle East declined 8.4 percent to 1.80 billion dollars amid the continued geopolitical risks.
Regarding import items, the import of three major energy sources, including crude oil, natural gas and coal, spiked 45.1 percent to 12.51 billion dollars last month.
Non-energy imports advanced 27.0 percent to 53.59 billion dollars on robust demand for semiconductor equipment, computers and naphtha.
For the first six months of this year, the country's exports soared 48.4 percent to hit an all-time high of 496.7 billion dollars compared to the same period of last year.
Imports went up 16.6 percent to 358.4 billion dollars in the first half, sending the trade surplus to 138.3 billion dollars. ■
