Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Science and ICT announced on August 14 that Korea’s exports of ICT goods in July 2025 climbed 14.5 percent year-on-year to USD 22.2 billion, while imports grew 9.8 percent to $13.3 billion. The trade balance recorded a surplus of $8.9 billion.

Despite policy uncertainties, including the announcement of new US tariffs, ICT exports reached an all-time high for the month of July. Semiconductor exports, in particular, achieved a record-breaking performance for four consecutive months.

Semiconductor exports spiked 31.2 percent year-on-year, driven by rising contract prices for DRAM and NAND memory, alongside sustained global demand for high-value memory products such as HBM and DDR5. Communication device exports rose 4.6 percent, supported by demand for battlefield communications equipment in the US and 5G equipment in Japan.

Exports of displays (down 8.9 percent), mobile phones (down 21.7 percent), and computers/peripherals (down 17.1 percent) all declined; however, strong exports of finished smartphone products partially offset the drop.

By destination, ICT exports increased to the US (up 11.9 percent), Vietnam (up 16.4 percent), the EU (up 18.0 percent), and Japan (up 23.9 percent), while exports to China (including Hong Kong) fell 5.6 percent.

ICT imports in July rose 9.8 percent year-on-year to $13.3 billion, driven by gains in semiconductors (up 9.2 percent), mobile phones (up 19.3 percent), and computers/peripherals (up 15.6 percent).