A recent survey indicates that South Korea's export growth in June is projected to reach its strongest year-on-year pace in almost fifty years, driven by record-high semiconductor shipments fueled by the global artificial intelligence (AI) investment boom.

The median forecast from 13 economists in the survey points to a 61.0% year-on-year increase in exports for June.

This figure would surpass the 53.4% growth recorded in May and mark the fastest rate of expansion since October 1978.

South Korean exports have been growing consistently since June 2025, with the pace of growth accelerating to double digits starting in December.

The export surge is primarily attributed to chip manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, as the global AI investment wave has driven up the prices of their semiconductor products.