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South Korea's June Exports Climb on Chip Demand Despite U.S. Tariffs

Seoul is negotiating to extend the temporary U.S. tariff suspension before it expires next week.

Overview

  • Exports rose 4.3% in June to $59.8 billion, marking the highest-ever figure for the month
  • Semiconductor shipments jumped 11.6% to an all-time high of $14.97 billion driven by demand for HBM and DDR5 chips
  • Shipments to the United States and China declined 0.5% and 2.7% respectively under looming 25–50% duties
  • June’s trade surplus reached $9.08 billion, the largest monthly surplus since September 2018
  • Seoul is seeking an extension of the tariff pause and encouraging firms to diversify into ASEAN, the EU, Taiwan and Vietnam