SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's August current account surplus hit the second-highest on record thanks to explosive growth in semiconductor and tech-related exports, central bank data showed Thursday.
The current account balance, or the broadest measure of cross-border trade, recorded a surplus of 46.11 billion U.S. dollars in August, marking the second-highest figure and trailing only the historic high of 49.73 billion dollars seen in June, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The monthly surplus comfortably stayed above 40 billion dollars for three consecutive months.
For the first eight months of 2026, the cumulative current account surplus reached 279.20 billion dollars, almost a fourfold increase compared to 69.67 billion dollars tallied during the same period last year.
Trade surplus for goods posted its second-highest at 46.81 billion dollars in August, just behind 47.89 billion dollars in June.
Exports jumped 82.1 percent year-on-year to 104.80 billion dollars in August, topping 100 billion dollars for a third straight month on the back of soaring demand for semiconductors and solid-state drives (SSDs).
Imports advanced 23.8 percent to 57.99 billion dollars, led by capital goods and raw materials.
Service account deficit totaled 1.68 billion dollars in August, lower than a deficit of 1.97 billion dollars in the previous month.
Within services, the travel deficit widened in August compared to July, but improvements in the transport and the intellectual property balances helped curb the overall deficit.
The primary income account, including monthly salary and investment income, registered a surplus of 1.92 billion dollars amid seasonal quarterly dividend payouts to foreign investors.
The net assets of financial account, which gauges cross-border capital flow without transaction in goods and service, grew by 40.23 billion dollars in August.
Overseas direct investment by domestic residents climbed by 6.22 billion dollars, while foreign direct investment in South Korea decreased by 1.61 billion dollars.
For portfolio investment, which includes stock and bond trading, overseas investment by local residents gained by 16.60 billion dollars, but foreign investment in local stocks and bonds shrank by 4.85 billion dollars. ■
