The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Minister Kim Jong-kwan) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (Vice Prime Minister and Minister Bae Gyeong-hun) announced the import and export trends of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry for the month of January on the 12th.
According to this, ICT exports amounted to $29.05 billion, a 78.5% increase compared to the same month last year ($16.27 billion), and imports increased by 20.0% to $14.09 billion. The trade balance recorded a surplus of $14.96 billion.
ICT exports in January achieved the highest performance ever recorded in January, and reached the largest growth rate in history. This was attributed to the simultaneous expansion of global artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and the high specification of ICT devices. ICT accounted for 44.1% of total exports ($65.85 billion), proving to be a key growth driver of Korean exports.
By item, all major ICT items showed double-digit growth rates. Exports increased across all categories including semiconductors (102.7%↑), displays (19.0%↑), mobile phones (75.1%↑), computers and peripherals (83.7%↑), and communication equipment (26.7%↑). The daily average export amount, considering the number of business days, was $1.24 billion, a 51.9% increase compared to the same month last year ($810 million).
In terms of items, semiconductors recorded a triple-digit increase driven by the rise in fixed prices of memory semiconductors (DRAM, NAND) and the increased demand for high value-added products (HBM, DDR5). The export amount reached $20.55 billion, achieving the largest January performance ever. Displays rebounded due to expanded supply of OLEDs for new mobile products, and mobile phones increased by 75.1% due to increased demand for premium finished products.
Computers and peripherals maintained a high growth trend for two consecutive months due to strong demand for SSDs for data centers, and communication equipment continued its growth trend for seven consecutive months due to the expansion of parts exports to Asia, including the United States, Vietnam, and Japan.
Exports increased across all regions. The United States (110.7%↑), China (including Hong Kong 94.5%↑), Taiwan (91.6%↑), Vietnam (63.6%↑), European Union (30.8%↑), Japan (21.0%↑), and India (4.5%↑) all showed an upward trend. Particularly in the United States, exports surged by 188.7% centered on semiconductors.
ICT imports amounted to $14.09 billion, and all major items such as semiconductors (22.2%↑), displays (30.4%↑), mobile phones (31.4%↑), computers and peripherals (11.8%↑), and communication equipment (24.4%↑) increased.
Meanwhile, exports of ICT from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) also increased by 33.2% compared to the same month last year, amounting to $5.55 billion. For SMEs alone, exports increased by 47.7% to $1.82 billion, and there was a balanced upward trend across semiconductors (61.1%↑), mobile phones (200.3%↑), and displays (76.1%↑).
The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Science and ICT analyzed that this export increase was due to global technological transition trends, such as the rise in AI semiconductors, high-performance computing, and data center demand. They evaluated that the recovery in ICT exports is leading the growth trend of the overall domestic manufacturing industry.