Seoul: Exports from the Republic of Korea experienced a 2.3 percent decline year-on-year during the first 10 days of January, with outbound shipments totaling US$15.55 billion, compared to US$15.92 billion during the same period last year.

According to Emirates News Agency, the Korea Customs Service announced that average daily exports rose by 4.7 percent year-on-year to US$2.22 billion. This increase was attributed to a reduced number of working days, with seven days in the reported period compared to 7.5 days the previous year. Imports fell by 4.5 percent year-on-year to US$18.21 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of US$2.7 billion.

Semiconductor shipments surged 45.6 percent from the previous year to US$4.64 billion, accounting for 29.9 percent of Korea's total exports during this period, marking an increase of 9.8 percentage points from the previous year. In contrast, automobile exports dropped 24.7 percent to US$1.01 billion, vessel shipments decreased 12.7 percent to US$923 million, and steel product exports fell 18.7 percent to US$976 million.

In December, exports had increased by 13.4 percent from a year earlier to US$69.6 billion, driven by strong demand for semiconductors, marking the 11th consecutive month of year-on-year growth. Additionally, in 2025, Korea's outbound shipments reached a record high of US$709.7 billion, surpassing the US$700 billion mark for the first time.