August 13, 2025 /SemiMedia/ — South Korea’s information and communications technology (ICT) exports reached record levels in July, driven by a surge in semiconductor shipments, which hit a new high for the fourth consecutive month despite uncertainties from U.S. tariffs.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, July ICT exports totaled $22.19 billion, up 14.5% year-on-year, while imports rose 9.8% to $13.32 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $8.87 billion.

Semiconductor exports led the growth with a 31.2% increase, fueled by rising memory prices and strong demand for high-value products such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and DDR5. Telecommunications equipment exports rose 4.6%, supported by U.S. military and Japanese 5G demand. In contrast, exports of displays (-8.9%), mobile phones (-21.7%) and computers and peripherals (-17.1%) declined.

By region, exports to the U.S. (up 11.9%), Vietnam (up 16.4%), the EU (up 18.0%) and Japan (up 23.9%) increased, while shipments to China, including Hong Kong, fell 5.6%.

On the import side, ICT imports totaled $12.13 billion, up 9.8% year-on-year, driven by semiconductors, mobile phones, and computer equipment. AI-related demand fueled dramatic increases in data center GPU imports, up 749.7%, and mid-to-large scale computer imports, up 39.9% from a year earlier.

The strong performance in high-value semiconductor exports and AI hardware imports highlights South Korea’s critical role in the global semiconductor supply chain and emerging technology markets.