South Korea’s current-account surplus widened to a record for a second straight month as booming semiconductor exports pushed the goods balance to another all-time high — even as foreign investors dumped a record amount of domestic equities.
The current-account surplus climbed in June to $49.7 billion from $38.6 billion a month earlier, Bank of Korea data showed Thursday.
The goods surplus rose to an all-time high of $47.9 billion as exports surged about 85% from a year earlier to $112.4 billion, marking the first time monthly shipments exceeded $100 billion. Imports gained almost 39%.
The financial account showed a record $46.7 billion increase. Foreign investors sold a record $31.6 billion of South Korean stocks, contributing to the second-largest decline on record in portfolio investment liabilities, while Korean investors continued to increase overseas holdings.
Semiconductors and other information-technology products continued to drive export growth, with IT shipments jumping about 160% from a year earlier. Non-IT exports also increased nearly 19%, suggesting the export recovery remained broad-based despite uncertainty over the global outlook.
The services account posted a $1.3 billion deficit, while the primary-income balance recorded a $3.3 billion surplus, supported by dividend income, the BOK said.
The data add to evidence that South Korea is likely to benefit from global investment tied to artificial intelligence and data centers, with booming chip exports providing a powerful tailwind for the export-dependent economy despite persistent volatility in financial markets.
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