FX.co ★ South Korea Trade Surplus Beats Estimates

In August 2025, South Korea saw its trade surplus rise to USD 6.51 billion, significantly up from the USD 3.77 billion recorded in the same month the previous year, and exceeding market forecasts of USD 5.4 billion. This increase came as a result of growing exports and declining imports, according to preliminary data. Exports experienced a year-on-year increase of 1.3%, although this was below the anticipated 3% growth and a slowdown from the revised 5.8% rise observed in July, influenced in part by the impact of US tariffs. This marked the third month in a row of export growth, albeit at a slower pace, primarily fueled by strong semiconductor sales. The country’s leading export, semiconductors, surged by 27.1% compared to the previous year, reaching an unprecedented USD 15.1 billion. Conversely, imports decreased by 4.0% in August, in contrast to a minor 0.7% increase in July, failing to meet market forecasts of a 0.1% decline.