Exports – South Korea’s Top Firms Drive Record Trade Share in 2025
Exports – South Korea’s largest corporations played an increasingly dominant role in the country’s trade performance last year, accounting for nearly 40 percent of total exports and marking the highest concentration on record. Government data released Saturday highlighted the growing weight of major exporters, led by strong global demand for semiconductor products.
According to figures compiled by the Ministry of Data and Statistics and reported by Yonhap News Agency, the top 10 exporting companies were responsible for 39 percent of the nation’s outbound shipments in 2025. That represents a 2.4 percentage point increase compared with the previous year.
Semiconductor Sales Fuel Export Concentration
Officials attributed the rise largely to surging semiconductor exports, which have become a central pillar of South Korea’s trade performance. Jung Kyu-seong, a ministry official, noted that the current level of export concentration is the highest since records began, with chip shipments making the most significant contribution to the increase.
The country’s two leading chipmakers, Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc., were at the forefront of this expansion. Both companies benefited from a global recovery in the semiconductor market, supported by rising investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. As demand for advanced memory products climbed, export volumes from these firms strengthened accordingly.
The broader trend reflects the growing importance of high-value technology goods within South Korea’s export portfolio. Industry analysts have pointed out that memory chips, particularly those used in AI systems, have been among the strongest-performing categories in international markets.
Top 100 Firms Expand Overall Share
The data also showed that the top 100 exporters accounted for 67.1 percent of total outbound shipments in 2025, up slightly from the year before. Although the increase was modest at 0.4 percentage point, it further underscores the central role played by large corporations in driving the country’s overseas sales.
South Korea has long depended on its major conglomerates to anchor trade growth. However, the latest figures suggest that export concentration is intensifying, especially in sectors linked to advanced technology manufacturing.
ICT Exports Surge to January Record
Separate data released earlier in the week by the Ministry of Science and ICT pointed to an exceptional start to the year for technology-related shipments. Exports of information and communication technology products soared 78 percent in January compared with the same month a year earlier.
Outbound ICT shipments reached 29 billion US dollars, a sharp rise from 16.2 billion dollars recorded in January of the previous year. This marked the highest January export figure ever reported for the sector.
The ministry attributed the jump to expanding global investment in artificial intelligence systems and digital infrastructure. As companies worldwide scale up data centers and computing capacity, demand for high-performance components has accelerated.
Memory Chips and Displays Lead Growth
Semiconductor exports more than doubled year-on-year in January, climbing to 20.5 billion dollars. The surge was supported by higher international memory prices and steady demand for premium products, including high bandwidth memory chips used in advanced AI applications.
Display exports also posted gains, rising 19 percent over the same period to 1.5 billion dollars. Organic light-emitting diode products were cited as a key driver behind this increase, reflecting sustained demand for high-quality screens across global markets.
Imports of ICT goods rose 20 percent in January to 14 billion dollars, resulting in a trade surplus of 14.9 billion dollars for the sector. Officials said the expanding AI industry continues to reshape global supply chains, benefiting South Korean technology manufacturers.
With semiconductor and ICT products at the center of export momentum, policymakers will likely continue monitoring the balance between growth and concentration in the country’s trade structure.