Exports of major South Korean companies increased by around 10% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, driven by a surge in global demand for semiconductors, as per government data. The top 917 firms out of 70,223 exporting companies in the country recorded outbound shipments totaling US$128.1 billion by the end of December, marking a 10.1% rise from the previous year. Notably, the growth was mainly fueled by a 9.1% increase in semiconductor exports.
Medium-sized businesses saw no change in exports at $30.9 billion, while small companies experienced a 10.8% uptick to $30.3 billion in their outbound shipments. Although exports to the United States dipped by 3.8% compared to the same period in 2024, exports to Central America and the Middle East saw significant increases of 32.2% and 19.8%, respectively, reflecting efforts to diversify markets.
Despite uncertainties surrounding U.S. trade policies, South Korean conglomerates and their affiliates witnessed a double-digit growth in sales in North America during the third quarter. Sixty-seven conglomerates and 194 affiliates reported a combined U.S. sales figure of 343.8 trillion won (US$235.6 billion) from July to September, marking a 14.1% surge from the previous year. Notably, the surveyed firms’ global sales rose by 8% year-on-year to 1,110.4 trillion won during the same period, with U.S. sales contributing 31% to the overall revenue, up from 29.3%.
In terms of sectors, information technology (IT) and electronics companies showed robust growth, with U.S. sales increasing by 20.7% to 157.9 trillion won in the third quarter. Notable increases were seen in SK hynix’s U.S. sales, which soared by 65.5% to 45.2 trillion won, and Samsung Electronics Co.’s sales, which rose by 10.2% to 93.3 trillion won during the same period.
