South Korea's exports nearly double in a year — the sharpest jump since 1974

South Korea's factories and chip plants have had a month for the record books: exports rose 93.7% in October from a year earlier to $115.28 billion, the sharpest increase since January 1974, government data released on Sunday showed. Semiconductor sales jumped 259.4% to $56.44 billion and computer sales rose 496.6%, powered by global demand for AI servers and investment, leaving a $42.50 billion trade surplus for the month. Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan said annual exports passing $1 trillion in November is now becoming certain, after $930 billion in the first ten months of the year — momentum that means orders, overtime and pay packets across the country's industrial towns.

SDG 8 · Decent work and economic growth — Mechanism: market force