South Korea's exports hit a record $120.9 billion in a single month - and $1 trillion a year is in sight

South Korea exported $120.9 billion worth of goods in September, an all-time monthly high and an 83.5% jump from a year earlier, according to preliminary customs data released October 1. Semiconductors were the engine: $60.3 billion in chip shipments, up more than 260%, accounting for nearly half of all exports. Exports for the first nine months reached $814.5 billion - already above the full-year record of $709.7 billion set in 2025 - with a nine-month trade surplus of $49.85 billion. President Lee Jae Myung noted that at this pace, annual exports would reach $1 trillion around early December, a milestone only the USA, China and Germany have ever achieved.