Data released by the Bank of Korea on Friday shows that South Korea's current account surplus for April reached the second-highest monthly level on record, primarily driven by robust semiconductor exports.

According to the central bank's figures, the current account surplus for April was $28.29 billion, a decrease from the record high of $37.93 billion seen in March.

Compared to the same period last year, the figure saw a substantial increase from $4.51 billion, marking the second-highest monthly surplus since March.

South Korea has now maintained a current account surplus for 36 consecutive months since May 2023, establishing the second-longest such streak in its history.

In 2025, the nation's annual current account surplus reached a new record high of $123.05 billion, surpassing the previous peak of $105.1 billion set in 2015.

In April, the goods account recorded a surplus of $33.88 billion, the second-highest on record. Exports surged by 54.5% year-on-year to $90.59 billion, while imports grew by 16.1% to approximately $56.7 billion.

Exports of information technology products, including chips, rose by 125.9% compared to last year. Within this category, semiconductor exports increased by 171.4%, and exports of computer peripherals jumped by 411.3%.

The services account for April registered a deficit of $2.42 billion, mainly due to increased spending on other business services.

The primary income account posted a deficit of $2.53 billion, attributed to higher dividend payments, which includes wages for foreign workers as well as dividend and interest income from overseas.