Exports from South Korea’s top 10 companies made up almost 40% of total outbound shipments last year, hitting a new high. This surge was primarily fueled by robust sales in the semiconductor sector, as per government data disclosed on Saturday.
In 2025, the top 10 exporters contributed 39% to the nation’s total exports, marking a 2.4 percentage point rise from the previous year. The Ministry of Data and Statistics data, cited by Yonhap news agency, highlighted this concentration level as the highest on record, with semiconductor exports playing a significant role.
A ministry official, Jung Kyu-seong, noted that the increased semiconductor shipments were the major driving force behind this record concentration level. Notably, the outbound shipments from South Korea’s leading chipmakers, Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc., significantly propelled the overall export growth during an artificial intelligence (AI) upcycle.
Exports of information and communication technology (ICT) products saw a substantial 78% surge in January compared to the same period last year, driven by global demand for AI infrastructure projects. Data from the Ministry of Science and ICT revealed that ICT product exports reached US$29 billion in January, a notable increase from the previous year.
