Customs data released on Friday revealed that South Korea's exports for the first 20 days of August climbed 56% year-on-year, with semiconductor shipments reaching an unprecedented peak.

According to the Korea Customs Service, outbound shipments from August 1-20 totaled $55.2 billion, marking the highest figure for any 20-day period in August on record. During this window, imports advanced 19% year-on-year to $41.2 billion, yielding a trade surplus of $14 billion.

The customs agency highlighted that average daily exports for the first 20 days of August jumped 61.5% year-on-year to $3.94 billion.

Sector-wise, chip exports nearly doubled to $26 billion, setting a fresh high for the corresponding period and accounting for 47.2% of total shipments—a significant 22.5-percentage-point rise compared to the same period last year. Petroleum product exports grew 56.4% to $4.23 billion, while steel product shipments increased 9.7% to $2.39 billion. Conversely, automobile exports dropped 45.1% to $1.52 billion.

By destination, shipments to China more than doubled to $15.26 billion, and exports to the United States rose 59.4% to $7.97 billion.

As of August 20, South Korea's cumulative exports for the year stood at $650.2 billion, up 51% from the same timeframe a year earlier.