SEOUL, 11th December, 2025 (WAM) -- The Republic of Korea's exports jumped 17.3 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of December, bolstered by robust global demand for semiconductors and an increase in working days, data showed Thursday.
Outbound shipments reached US$20.58 billion in the 1st to 10th December period, compared with $17.54 billion tallied a year earlier, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing data from the Korea Customs Service. It marked the largest figure ever for any 10-day period.
Imports rose 8 percent on-year to $20.65 billion over the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $70 million, the data showed.
Strong demand for semiconductors led to the rise in overall exports.
Chip shipments spiked 45.9 percent from a year earlier to $5.27 billion. Semiconductor exports accounted for 25.6 percent of the country's total exports during the 10-day period, up 5 percentage points from a year earlier.
In November, exports increased 8.4 percent from a year earlier to $61.04 billion, the highest for any November, driven by strong demand for semiconductors.
Accumulated exports in the January-November period reached $640.2 billion, a record high for the cited period, raising expectations that the country's annual exports will surpass the $700 billion mark for the first time in its history this year.