In 2023, South Korea's exports and imports of goods and services as a share of the country's GDP stood at almost ** percent. This was down from about ** percent of GDP in the previous year. After the Korean War (1950-1953), South Korea developed into an export-oriented country, which was, among other things, an important factor for the country's economic growth. South Korea's share of imports and exports in its GDP is relatively high compared to other member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Key information about South Korea Total Exports

• South Korea Total Exports recorded 52.5 USD bn in Feb 2025, compared with 49.2 USD bn in the previous month
• South Korea Total Exports data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1966 to Feb 2025, with an averaged value of 9.7 USD bn
• The data reached an all-time high of 63.8 USD bn in Mar 2022 and a record low of 14.8 USD mn in Jan 1966

• In the latest reports, South Korea Total Exports grew 0.7 % YoY in Feb 2025
• Total Imports recorded 48.3 USD bn in Feb 2025, which registered an increase of 0.2 % year on year
• South Korea Trade Balance recorded a surplus of 4.2 USD bn in Feb 2025

South Korea's total Exports in 2024 were valued at US$683.13 Billion, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. South Korea's main export partners were: China, the United States and Vietnam. The top three export commodities were: Electrical, electronic equipment; Vehicles other than railway, tramway and Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers. Total Imports were valued at US$631.73 Billion. In 2024, South Korea had a trade surplus of US$51.40 Billion.

Exports in South Korea increased to 59800 USD Million in June from 57270 USD Million in May of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - South Korea Exports - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

In 2025, the export value of display panels from South Korea is forecasted at around ***** billion U.S. dollars. This value is a decrease from the previous year's forecast of **** billion dollars.

Korean Companies’ Trade Data provides important information to analyze trends in Korean companies’ export and import trends. This data includes export and import details, trade deficits and surpluses, and tariff information. Collected from Korean government trade statistics data, it helps investors understand global trade trends, manage trade-related risks, and discover new trade opportunities, essential for valuing Korean companies engaged in international trade.

In 2025, the export value of semiconductors from South Korea is forecasted to reach about ***** billion U.S. dollars. This is expected to exceed the previous year's forecast.

Key information about South Korea Total Imports

• South Korea Total Imports recorded 48.3 USD bn in Feb 2025, compared with a value of 51.0 USD bn in the previous month
• South Korea Total Imports data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1966 to Feb 2025, with an average number of 8.5 USD bn
• The data reached an all-time high of 66.0 USD bn in Aug 2022 and a record low of 38.6 USD mn in Jan 1966

• In the latest reports, South Korea Total Imports grew 0.2 % YoY in Feb 2025
• Total Exports grew 0.7 % YoY, to 52.5 USD bn in Feb 2025
• South Korea Trade Balance recorded a surplus of 4.2 USD bn in Feb 2025

Case study on COVID-19 can be downloaded from Additional Materials on the right side of this page. Data enables users to track activities of export and import dependent companies. Export contributes approximately 50% of total revenue for listed companies in KOSPI and KOSDAQ. Korea export shows significant correlation to key economic indicators of other nations. Due to high portion of middle product exports - such as semiconductors, automotive parts, steel, and chemicals - S. Korea export data shows especially high correlation to the key economic indicators of most Asia-pacific economies. Supply-chain analysis : In 2018, S. Korea exports of memory IC reached $9.4 billion, with a market share of 57% in the global memory IC market estimated to be around $16.5 billion. The application of memory IC is already predominant in various IT hardware devices, and analysis of Korea's memory IC exports would give insight into the supply and demand dynamics of the global IT hardware value chain.

South Korea's total Imports in 2024 were valued at US$631.73 Billion, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. South Korea's main import partners were: China, the United States and Japan. The top three import commodities were: Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products; Electrical, electronic equipment and Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers. Total Exports were valued at US$683.13 Billion. In 2024, South Korea had a trade surplus of US$51.40 Billion.

The timeline shows the total value of U.S. trade in goods (export and import) with South Korea from 2000 to 2023. In 2023, the total value of U.S. trade in goods with South Korea amounted to *** billion U.S. dollars; composed of exports worth ** billion U.S. dollars and imports of *** billion U.S. dollars.

Historical chart and dataset showing South Korea exports by year from 1960 to 2023.

Korea Imports: Bonded Factory for Export Purpose From Foreign Countries data was reported at 3.327 USD bn in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.350 USD bn for May 2018. Korea Imports: Bonded Factory for Export Purpose From Foreign Countries data is updated monthly, averaging 3.190 USD bn from Jan 2000 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 222 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.938 USD bn in Dec 2014 and a record low of 768.722 USD mn in Sep 2001. Korea Imports: Bonded Factory for Export Purpose From Foreign Countries data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Korea Customs Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Korea – Table KR.JA028: Trade Statistics: Exports and Imports: By Type.

The statistic shows the value of exports of goods from South Korea from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, goods with a value of around ****** billion U.S. dollars were exported from South Korea. South Korea's exports The quantity of exports from South Korea has been rising over the past 10 years, with a slight dip in 2009, at the time of the economic crisis. South Korea is one of the leading exporters of cars and electronic goods. Both Hyundai and Samsung are South Korean corporate heavyweights and hold large market shares in their respective segments. However, since 2011 it can be seen that the rise of the value of South Korean exports has slowed. This is likely due to the value of the country's currency, the won, rising higher than the Japanese Yen, making Korean goods less competitive on the global market. Petroleum products are also an important South Korean export, and falling global oil and gas prices are likely to have been a contributor to lower-than-expected export values as well. However, Korea is also looking to reduce its dependence on exports and focus on developing its domestic service sector instead, in order to sustain long-term economic growth. However, the distribution of the sectors' share in GDP generation has remained nearly the same for the past 10 years. While the country is also experiencing greatly reduced levels of growth compared to 2010, when GDP growth reached *** percent, the country is hoping to improve growth rates in the future.

Key information about South Korea Total Imports Growth

• South Korea Total Imports grew 0.2 % YoY in Feb 2025, compared with a decrease of 6.4 % YoY in the previous month
• South Korea Total Imports Growth data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1967 to Feb 2025, with an averaged rate of 14.5 %
• The data reached an all-time high of 115.6 % in Feb 1974 and a record low of -43.9 % in Jul 1998

• In the latest reports, South Korea Total Imports recorded 48.3 USD bn in Feb 2025
• Total Exports reached 52.5 USD bn in Feb 2025, which registered an increase of 0.7 % year on year
• South Korea Trade Balance recorded a surplus of 4.2 USD bn in Feb 2025

South Korea trade to gdp ratio for 2023 was 87.94%, a 8.6% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>South Korea trade to gdp ratio for 2022 was <strong>96.54%</strong>, a <strong>16.34% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>South Korea trade to gdp ratio for 2021 was <strong>80.20%</strong>, a <strong>11.17% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>South Korea trade to gdp ratio for 2020 was <strong>69.03%</strong>, a <strong>6.72% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Trade is the sum of exports and imports of goods and services measured as a share of gross domestic product.

In 2025, the export value of mobile handsets from South Korea is forecasted to reach approximately ***** billion U.S. dollars. The expected value is higher than the forecast from the previous year.

Imports in South Korea increased to 54400 USD Million in October from 52100 USD Million in September of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - South Korea Imports - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

As of December 2024, the total value of U.S. trade in goods, the sum of both exports and imports with South Korea amounted to approximately **** billion U.S. dollars. This composed of a roughly **** billion U.S. dollar export value and around ***** billion U.S. dollars in import value. Trade values have steadily increased but increased notably in 2021.

In 2025, the export value of electric components from South Korea is forecasted to reach about **** billion U.S. dollars. This is an increase from the previous year's forecast of **** billion dollars.