South Korea's exports hit record $66 billion in January
South Korea just smashed its export record, hitting nearly $66 billion in January 2026—a huge 34% jump from last year.
The big driver? Semiconductors, especially AI memory chips, which doubled their numbers and set a new January record at over $20 billion.
It's the first time exports have ever crossed the $60 billion mark for this month.
Exports of displays, mobile phones, computers and cars also rose
It wasn't just chips making headlines—exports of displays went up 26%, mobile phones soared by 67%, computers (up 89.2% to $1.55 billion, helped by higher demand for solid state drives driven by expanded demand for AI infrastructure), and cars climbed over 21%.
Basically, South Korea's tech and auto industries are having a moment.
Trade surplus of $8.7 billion
Imports also grew but not as fast, so the country scored a trade surplus of $8.7 billion—its 12th straight month in the green.
Exports to the US rose nearly 30% even with tariffs, while exports to China rose 46.7% and exports to ASEAN rose 40.7%.
For South Korea, it's been a seriously good start to the year!