[Export Preliminary Figures] October exports total $115.3 billion; semiconductors account for nearly half

South Korea's October exports reached $115.28 billion, up 93.7% from $59.51 billion a year earlier, according to Korea Customs Service preliminary data. Semiconductors drove the surge, with chip exports jumping 257.5% to $56.70 billion and accounting for 49.2% of total exports, up 22.5 percentage points from 26.7% a year ago. Exports to China and the US also rose sharply, while petroleum products ranked as the second-largest export category at $6.96 billion. The monthly growth rate moderated slightly from the 105.4% increase recorded for October 1-20, suggesting some cooling in the pace of expansion. The heavy concentration in semiconductors underscores Korea's exposure to the global AI-driven memory cycle, making the sustainability of chip demand and shipments to China and the US key metrics to monitor in coming months.