| | | South Korea Posts Record July Chip Exports, Up 31.6% YoY on HBM and DDR5 Demand
2025-08-04 Semiconductors editor
Please note that this article cites information from MoneyDJ, Yonhap News, Reuters, and Chosun Daily.
According to MoneyDJ, citing South Korean media outlet Yonhap News, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on August 1 that exports in July 2025 reached USD 60.82 billion—an impressive 5.9% increase year-over-year—setting a new record high for the month of July and marking the strongest annual growth in seven months since December 2024.
As the report highlights, the surge was driven by robust demand for AI-related technologies and a rush by companies to stock up on chips ahead of potential tariffs threatened by Donald Trump on imported semiconductors. As a result, South Korea’s semiconductor exports in July soared to USD 14.71 billion, up 31.6% year-over-year, setting a new all-time high for the month.
Yonhap News highlights that the growth was driven by rising memory chip prices and steady demand for high-value products like HBM chips and DDR5.
Meanwhile, automobile exports climbed 8.8% to USD 5.83 billion, reaching a five-month high, driven by strong demand from the European Union, Latin America, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), including Russia. In contrast, auto exports to the U.S. declined 1.7% year-over-year, as electric vehicle (EV) shipments plummeted 97.7% due to the Trump administration’s 25% tariff on all imported cars, according to Yonhap News.
By destination, exports to the U.S. increased by 1.4%, ending a three-month streak of declines, as rising demand for tech products helped counterbalance the effects of Trump’s tariffs on steel and auto parts. Meanwhile, shipments to China dropped 3.0%, while those to the European Union climbed 8.7%, as noted by Reuters.
In addition, South Korea experienced a sharp rise in exports to Taiwan, a key market for its semiconductor industry, as highlighted by Chosun Daily. As a major chip supplier, Korea saw its semiconductor exports to Taiwan nearly double, soaring 68% to USD 4.66 billion. This marked the highest export figure ever recorded for the month of July, the report notes.
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