SEOUL, July 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports of information and communications technology (ICT) products hit a new monthly high, thanks to soaring semiconductor demand, government data showed Tuesday.
The ICT product shipments surged 160.4 percent from a year earlier to reach a new high of 57.29 billion U.S. dollars in June, topping 50 billion USD for the first time, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
ICT exports continued to go up for 17 straight months since February 2025.
Chip exports skyrocketed 199.4 percent to post a record high of 44.82 billion USD on global investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure that led to higher demand and price hikes for memory chips.
Display panel shipments jumped 30.3 percent to 1.68 billion USD, and mobile phone exports mounted 62.5 percent to 1.28 billion USD.
Shipments for computers and peripherals spiked 284.7 percent to 5.57 billion USD due to robust demand for solid-state drives (SSDs), and communications equipment exports grew 23.0 percent to 240 million USD.
Import of ICT products soared 46.4 percent over the year to 18.20 billion USD in June, sending the trade surplus in the ICT industry to 39.09 billion USD.
Imports of chips, display panels, mobile phones, computers and communications equipment all registered a double-digit growth last month.
For the first six months of 2026, ICT product exports advanced 120.5 percent to 253.86 billion USD compared to the same period of last year.
The ICT imports rose 31.3 percent to 93.21 billion USD in the first half of this year, sending the trade surplus to 160.65 billion USD. ■
