AI, chips boom sent South Korea exports soaring in 2025

Total exports last year were valued at over $700 billion, according to data from Seoul's industry ministry, up 3.8 percent from the previous year. The worldwide surge in interest in artificial intelligence saw semiconductor industry exports reach $173.4 billion in 2025 -- a record high and an increase of more than 20 percent from the previous year, the ministry said. High-priced memory chips used in AI data centres were in strong demand, they added. Semiconductor exports in December alone rose more than 40 percent year-on-year...