South Korea is set to achieve its highest-ever exports of biopharmaceutical products in the first quarter of this year, as per government data. The estimated exports for the first six months totaled $4.5 billion, marking a 15.3 percent increase, with these products constituting 86.5 percent of the total pharmaceutical exports of $5.2 billion in the first half. The trend indicates a significant rise from $4.9 billion in 2023 to $7.6 billion in 2025, with expectations of further growth this year.
South Korea’s biopharmaceutical exports have reached 163 countries as of June, with Switzerland being the top importer at $770 million, followed by the United States at $610 million and Hungary at $600 million. Notably, France entered the top 10 export destinations list for the first time, with exports amounting to $160 million in the first half. Recombinant protein drugs accounted for the highest export value at $3.97 billion, trailed by toxins and antitoxins at $280 million, and vaccines at $120 million.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety aims to sustain the export momentum of the bio industry in the latter half of the year through regulatory enhancements, information dissemination, and active trade discussions with key importers. Concurrently, Seoul’s stock market rebounded from initial losses on Wednesday morning, with institutional buying leading to a reassessment of the artificial intelligence (AI) trade’s future. Despite opening 2.7 percent lower, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) recovered slightly, trading down 151.89 points, or 1.98 percent, at 7,504.42 by 11:20 a.m.
Market movements mirrored the declines on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.25 percent and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.16 percent. Institutional investors purchased stocks worth 1.02 trillion won (US$674 million), while foreign and individual investors divested 467.27 billion won and 561.48 billion won, respectively.
