S.Korea's ICT Exports Hit US$205B in Nov, Up 13 Months Straight

Sejong, South Korea - The information and communications technology (ICT) exports reached US$205.0 billion in November, continuing a four-month streak above US$200 billion, according to data released by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

ICT exports recorded a 13-month consecutive increase compared to the previous year, with cumulative exports through November reaching US$212.4 billion, up 26.1% from last year.

Semiconductor exports rose 30.3% year-on-year to US$124.6 billion, driven by memory semiconductor growth of 52.0% to US$79.6 billion and system semiconductor growth of 1.9% to US$39.6 billion.

Computer and peripheral device exports surged by 98.6% to US$14.9 billion, led by solid-state drive (SSD) shipment, which increased by 194.2% to US$11.5 billion due to growing demand for data center servers.

Display exports declined 20.1% to US$16.7 billion due to weak demand for television and personal computer products, while mobile phone exports decreased 6.2% to US$14.5 billion.

By region, exports to Vietnam increased 5.7% to US$33.0 billion, marking 16 consecutive months of growth. U.S. exports rose 47.5% to US$30.4 billion, while shipments to China, including Hong Kong, fell 2.2% to US$79.1 billion.

The ICT sector recorded a trade surplus of US$80.6 billion in November, with imports increasing 8.8% year-on-year to US$124.4 billion.

Small and medium-sized enterprises reported ICT exports of US$50.2 billion, up 1.8 percent from the previous year. Semiconductor exports rose 12.1 percent to US$26.3 billion.