Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

Trade Figures for July

Exports climbed 27.3 percent year on year to reach $51.4 billion, surpassing the previous record of $48.6 billion which was set in April. The average value of all exports per day gained 32.7 percent to record $2.19 billion. With outbound shipments of petroleum products and steel shooting up 89.2 percent and 72.5 percent, respectively, July was a good month for most key export items. Outbound shipments to major trading partners for the first 20 days of July increased, the European Union being the only exception. Exports of petroleum products to China rose 121.7 percent, while outbound shipments of wireless communications devices to Japan surged 154.1 percent. Exports of petrochemicals to China and the United States went up 51.2 percent and 62.8 percent, respectively. Ship exports to China and the European Union declined, but export figures for the United States and ASEAN made up for it with increases of 34.3 percent and 110.7 percent, respectively. date2011-08-02

Parts and Materials Industry Trade Figures for First Half of 2011

    date2011-07-21

Foreign Investment Figures for First Half of 2011

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the manufacturing sector grew 11.8 percent to $2.23 billion, while FDI in the service sector fell 16.8 percent to $2.65 billion. Notably, investments in nonmetallic minerals and culture and entertainment shot up 10,500 percent and 6,766.7 percent, respectively. date2011-07-19

IT Trade Figures for June

date2011-07-13

Trade Figures for June

date2011-07-05

Trade Figures for First Half of 2011

Exports grew in most key areas. Outbound shipments of petroleum products, ships and automobiles posted strong year-on-year growth. Higher global oil prices boosted the average export price per barrel of petroleum products 38.6 percent. As the shipbuilding industry bounced back, it received new orders for high-value-added ships such as drillships and oil tankers and delivered those ships on schedule. From January 1 to June 20, exports to key trading partners increased.   Meanwhile, imports climbed 26.6 percent to $258 billion. The average value of all imports per day reached $1.92 billion. With imports of crude oil and coal jumping 46.8 percent and 46.4 percent from a year ago, respectively, inbound shipments of raw materials, which accounted for 63.1 percent of all imports, went up 35 percent. Imports of capital and consumer goods increased 12.7 percent and 31.6 percent, respectively.     date2011-07-04

Minister Speaks with Qatari Health Minister

Minister of Knowledge Economy Choi Joong-Kyung speaks with Qatari Minister of Health Abdulla Bin Khalid Al-Qahtani on June 21 in Gwacheon, south of Seoul. The two officials shared ideas on partnerships involving trade, investment and IT-enhanced healthcare. date2011-06-23

IT Trade Figures for May

  IT imports went up 15.9 percent to record $6.94 billion. With inbound shipments of semiconductors and display panels rising 12.6 percent to $2.74 billion and 9.4 percent to $560 million, respectively, imports of electronic components gained 12.8 percent to reach $3.94 billion. Imports of mobile phones rose 45 percent to $470 million; while imports of computers and related devices increased 6.8 percent to $790 million.   date2011-06-08

Trade Figures for May

  Exports to key trading partners increased for the first 20 days of May, with the exception of Latin America and Oceania. Exports of ships to China shot up 222.1 percent, while outbound shipments of petroleum products to the United States and ASEAN countries went up 95.3 percent and 117.2 percent, respectively.     date2011-06-02

IT Trade Figures for April

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy has released its IT trade figures for April. The trade balance in the information technology sector posted a $6.63 billion surplus, with exports up 5.6 percent year on year to record $13.3 billion. IT exports have now shown positive growth for 19 months in a row, and have surpassed the $13 billion mark for the past two months.   Exports of mobile phones, tablet PCs and lithium-ion rechargeable batteries displayed positive growth; meanwhile, outbound shipments of display panels, semiconductors and televisions declined. An upswing in smartphone exports pushed outbound shipments of all mobile phones up 32 percent to $2.32 billion. Exports of smartphones shot up 459 percent. Exports of mobile phones to the United States showed a notable increase, posting 89.8 percent growth.   Despite robust exports of tablet PCs (up 3.3 percent), outbound shipments of computers and related devices fell 12.2 percent to $590 million. With increased demand from the United States, exports of household devices gained 4.2 percent to reach $470 million. Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries displayed double-digit growth, climbing 13.7 percent.     Exports to major trading partners increased, but shipments to the European Union were an exception. With outbound shipments of mobile phones to Japan jumping 135.5 percent, exports of display panels to China grew 8.2 percent.   IT imports rose 11.1 percent compared with the same period the previous year to record $6.67 billion. With inbound shipments of semiconductors and display panels rising 4.8 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively, imports of electronic components gained 5.1 percent to reach $3.77 billion. Notably, inbound shipments of mobile phones surged 57.2 percent.   * Released by the Electronics and IT Policy Division     date2011-05-12