Korea exports down 2.3% during first 10 days of January

SEOUL, 12th January, 2026 (WAM) — Exports of the Republic of Korea declined by 2.3 percent year-on-year during the first 10 days of January, despite robust overseas shipments of semiconductors, official data showed on Monday.

Outbound shipments amounted to US$15.55 billion in the period from 1st to 10th January, compared with US$15.92 billion recorded a year earlier, according to figures released by the Korea Customs Service.

Average daily exports, however, rose by 4.7 percent year-on-year to US$2.22 billion, supported by a lower number of working days, which stood at seven days, compared with 7.5 days in the same period last year.

According to Yonhap News Agency, imports decreased by 4.5 percent year-on-year to US$18.21 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of US$2.7 billion during the period.

Chip shipments spiked 45.6 percent from a year earlier to $4.64 billion. The amount accounts for 29.9 percent of the country’s total exports during the 10-day period, up 9.8 percentage points from a year earlier.

Automobile exports tumbled 24.7 percent on-year to $1.01 billion, while shipments of vessels shed 12.7 percent to $923 million. Exports of steel products also plunged 18.7 percent on-year to $976 million.

In December, exports expanded 13.4 percent from a year earlier to $69.6 billion on strong demand for semiconductors, marking the 11th consecutive month of an on-year increase.

For 2025, outbound shipments reached an all-time high of $709.7 billion, surpassing the $700 billion mark for the first time.