Seoul: South Korea's exports increased by 4.3 percent in June compared to the previous year, driven by strong global demand for semiconductors. This marks a notable recovery from the decline observed in May.

According to Qatar News Agency, outbound shipments reached $59.8 billion, setting a record for the month of June. This recovery follows a 1.3 percent contraction recorded in May. Imports also rose by 3.3 percent year-on-year to $50.72 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $9.08 billion.

The South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy attributed the export growth primarily to semiconductors and automobiles, which are the country's leading export items. Semiconductor exports surged by 11.6 percent year-on-year to an unprecedented $14.97 billion, driven by the demand for advanced products like high bandwidth memory chips and DDR5.

Automobile exports saw a 2.3 percent increase, reaching $6.3 billion, largely due to strong electric vehicle demand in Europe. Additionally, ship exports rose by 63.4 percent to $2.5 billion, marking an increase for the fourth consecutive month. However, exports of petroleum and petrochemical products declined by 2 percent and 15.5 percent, amounting to $3.62 billion and $3.36 billion, respectively.