South Korea’s exports hit a record $120.94 billion as AI chip demand surges

South Korea just posted the kind of export month that makes economists recheck their spreadsheets. Exports reached $120.94 billion in September 2026, an 83.5% jump from a year earlier. That figure marks the first time the country’s monthly exports have topped $120 billion. It also extends the growth streak to 16 consecutive months. Chips did most of the heavy lifting Semiconductor exports climbed between 262.8% and 263% year over year, reaching $60.3 billion. Put more simply, chip shipments roughly tripled in twelve months. No single export category had ever crossed $60 billion in one month before. Semiconductors now account for nearly half of everything South Korea sells abroad. Economists had expected strong numbers, just not this strong. Forecasts called for 62% growth, and the actual 83.5% result cleared that bar with room to spare. Computers were the other standout. Computer exports soared 435.3% to $7 billion, driven by demand for AI infrastructure and agentic AI systems, the software agents designed to carry out multistep tasks with limited human input. A record surplus and a year already in the books Imports rose too, climbing 26% to $71.09 billion, according to the Ministr...