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1 / 4South Korea's chip exports rose 259% in October, and the whole country's exports nearly doubled×

The record

South Korea exported $115.3 billion of goods in October, up 93.7% on a year earlier and a record, the trade ministry said on Sunday.

The chips

Semiconductors were $56.4 billion of it, up 259%, about half of everything the country sold abroad.

Where it went

Shipments to the United States rose 185.8% to $24.9 billion and to China 133.6% to $26.98 billion. Exports for the first ten months passed $900 billion for the first time, and the ministry says the year could reach $1 trillion as soon as this month.

The market

The KOSPI closed 2.24% higher on Monday at 5,859.08, with SK hynix up 3.81% and Samsung up 1.78%, recovering part of a fall of more than 15% over the past month.

Sources and the full story

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South Korea's chip exports rose 259% in October, and the whole country's exports nearly doubled

South Korea exported $115.3 billion of goods in October, up 93.7% on a year earlier and a record, the trade ministry said on Sunday. Semiconductors were $56.4 billion of it, up 259%, about half of everything the country sold abroad. Shipments to the United States rose 185.8% to $24.9 billion and to China 133.6% to $26.98 billion. Exports for the first ten months passed $900 billion for the first time, and the ministry says the year could reach $1 trillion as soon as this month.

The KOSPI closed 2.24% higher on Monday at 5,859.08, with SK hynix up 3.81% and Samsung up 1.78%, recovering part of a fall of more than 15% over the past month. SourcesBB

Sources

• BKorea's monthly exports hit $115.3 bil. in Oct. on record chip sales (The Korea Times)koreatimes.co.kr
• BKospi reverses early decline to close 2.24% higher (Invezz, not opened)invezz.com

This story ran in the Morning Brief of November 2nd 2026.