South Korea’s exports surge by most since 1978 on robust chip demand

South Korea reported a dramatic export surge in June, with shipments rising 70.9% year over year to a record $102.25 billion, the fastest growth since 1978. The jump was led by semiconductor demand, as chip exports hit a monthly record of $44.82 billion and tripled from a year earlier amid continued AI infrastructure spending globally. Imports also rose 30.1% to $66.10 billion, lifting the trade surplus to $36.15 billion, above the $30 billion threshold for the first time. The article also notes a new government and industry investment plan of more than 800 trillion won ($520 billion) for chip-making facilities in southwest Korea, reinforcing the positive outlook for the memory-chip sector. Market impact is supportive for Asian semiconductor supply-chain names and broader tech sentiment, especially companies tied to memory chips and AI hardware.