Economy News

South Korea's exports hit a record $120.9bn in September as chip sales jump 263%

South Korea's exports rose 83.5% from a year earlier to $120.9bn in September, the highest monthly total on record, preliminary figures released on Thursday, October 1, showed. Al Jazeera said the total beat the previous record of $102.25bn set in June, and that chips made up nearly half of all shipments, soaring more than 260% to $60.3bn on demand for memory used in artificial intelligence.

Korea JoongAng Daily, citing the trade ministry, put chip exports up 263% and said it was the first time they had topped $60bn. It added that exports to China rose 123% to $26bn and to the US 137% to $24.33bn, while car exports fell 5.5% to $6.05bn, partly because the Chuseok holiday cut working days. The Korea Times led with the same record and the 'robust chip sales' behind it.

“While we expect to achieve $1 trillion in annual exports, the strengthening of global protectionism and tensions in the Middle East remain major variables affecting our exports.” — Kim Jeong-kwan, trade minister, via Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera added that January–September exports of $814.5bn already exceed the whole of 2025, and that the benchmark Kospi had risen nearly 60% this year on the AI boom.

How each outlet framed it

• Al Jazeera — the AI chip boom in a global frame, with the minister's warning about protectionism and the Middle East.
• Korea JoongAng Daily — the detail: imports, destinations, and which products rose or fell.
• The Korea Times — a straight record story centred on chip sales.

Where the numbers differ: Both reports cite a trade surplus of $49.85bn. JoongAng Daily presents it as September's figure, with imports of $71.09bn; Al Jazeera describes the same number as the surplus for the first nine months of the year.