Driven by semiconductor shipments, South Korea's exports continued to surge in April, indicating the resilience of this trade-dependent economy despite risks stemming from conflicts in the Middle East.

Spurred by global technology companies' demand for building artificial intelligence infrastructure, semiconductor shipments experienced a sharp increase. Semiconductor exports account for approximately one-quarter of the country's total exports.

The results underscore how AI-related demand is helping high-tech economies withstand volatility associated with Middle East conflicts.

Major memory chip manufacturers, such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, reported record-high profits in the first quarter, and are expected to continue setting new records this year, despite soaring input costs resulting from the Iran conflict.

South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported on Friday that exports in April rose 48.0% year-on-year to $85.89 billion, following a revised increase of 49.2% in March.

This figure was exactly in line with the median forecast from a survey of economists.

Preliminary data showed that imports grew 16.7% year-on-year to $62.11 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $23.77 billion for April.

Strong memory chip shipments continued to drive export growth, offsetting weak performance in other categories such as automobiles and steel.