South Korea Posts Record $61.46 Billion Current Account Surplus on Chip Exports

The figure was up from $46.11 billion in August and from $14.22 billion in September last year, and it broke the previous record of $49.73 billion set in June. For the first nine months of the year the surplus totalled $340.66 billion, against $83.89 billion in the same period of 2025. The full-year surplus for 2025, itself a record, was $123.05 billion.

The data shows how much the demand for memory chips from AI data centres is now reshaping the economy of the country that is home to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. The goods account alone produced a record surplus of $62.75 billion. Exports rose 92.4% from a year earlier to $130.72 billion, while imports rose 29.4% to $67.97 billion, according to the central bank.

The Bank of Korea did not give a separate figure for chip exports in the release. Trade ministry data for August showed semiconductors made up $46.65 billion, or 47%, of that month's exports.

Other parts of the balance were weaker. The services account showed a deficit of $3.35 billion, wider than August's $1.68 billion, which the bank attributed to a larger travel deficit and higher payments for intellectual property. The primary income account was in surplus by $2.65 billion, helped by higher equity income, and secondary income showed a deficit of $590 million.

The central bank had forecast an annual surplus of $450 billion for 2026 and now expects the actual figure to be higher. A Bank of Korea official said October is likely to post the second-highest monthly surplus on record, adding: "We expect another record high in December given year-end seasonal effects."

The record arrives as Korean chip stocks come under pressure. On Thursday, a sell sidecar was triggered on the Kospi as Samsung and SK Hynix shares fell on fears that the incoming Democratic-controlled US Congress will tighten rules on AI data centres, the main source of demand behind the export boom.