South Korea‘s Early June Chip Exports Surge Over 200 Percent, AI Boom Drives Record Export Performance
On June 11, 2026, South Korea’s Customs Service announced that exports from June 1 to June 10 reached $28.635 billion, an 85.9 percent increase from the same period last year, marking the highest export figure for any 10-day period in the country‘s history. Semiconductor exports surged 205.8 percent to $11.07 billion, accounting for nearly 40 percent of South Korea’s total exports, up 15.1 percentage points from a year earlier.
ASIA,ECONOMY
Global N Press
6/12/20261 min read
On June 11, 2026, South Korea’s Customs Service announced that exports from June 1 to June 10 reached $28.635 billion, an 85.9 percent increase from the same period last year, marking the highest export figure for any 10-day period in the country‘s history. Semiconductor exports surged 205.8 percent to $11.07 billion, accounting for nearly 40 percent of South Korea’s total exports, up 15.1 percentage points from a year earlier. Passenger vehicle exports rose 25.4 percent. Daily average exports jumped 46.1 percent to $4.09 billion.
The export boom was driven primarily by relentless global demand for AI chips. However, the Middle East conflict continues to pose severe challenges for Asian economies. The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office on June 2 raised its 2026 inflation forecast for the region to 1.8 percent from 1.4 percent, noting that the conflict has persisted far longer than initially expected.
Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda warned on June 11 that Asian economies face a risk of stagflation as the Middle East conflict pushes up inflation. South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance reported on June 12 that May‘s consumer price index rose 3.1 percent year-on-year, with petroleum product prices surging 24.2 percent, while employment fell by 40,000. Nevertheless, the government maintained that strong exports are sustaining economic recovery and removed the phrase economic downside risk from its June report after three consecutive months of inclusion.
