South Korea's Chip Exports Hit Record $8.6 Billion in First 10 Days of April as AI Demand Surges

South Korea's semiconductor exports surged 152% year-over-year to a record $8.6 billion in the first 10 days of April 2026, according to government trade data reported by UPI. Total exports across all categories reached $25.2 billion — a 36.7% jump from the same period a year earlier — marking the highest export figure ever recorded for the first 10 days of any month. The previous monthly record for the same opening period was $21.7 billion, set just one month earlier in March 2026.

Semiconductors now account for 34% of all South Korean exports, up from approximately 18.4% during the same period last year — a dramatic shift that underscores how thoroughly AI-driven chip demand has reshaped the country's export economy. Shipments to China, South Korea's largest trading partner, soared 63.8% on-year to $5.7 billion, while exports to the United States rose 24% to $4.3 billion despite the tariff framework introduced by the Trump administration in January 2026. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are the primary beneficiaries, as their HBM and DRAM products command record prices amid global AI infrastructure buildout.

The export surge aligns with Bloomberg's reporting that South Korea posted a record current account surplus in March 2026, driven by the same chip demand. Analysts at Newzoo and TrendForce project the global semiconductor market will reach $1.3 trillion in revenue in 2026, its third consecutive year of double-digit growth, with memory — particularly HBM — contributing an outsized share. For context, SK Hynix alone projects an HBM annualized revenue run rate approaching $8 billion, and Samsung is scaling HBM capacity by roughly 50% this year to capture additional share as the AI buildout shows no signs of slowing.