The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on May 1 said in its report on April trade trends that exports last month rose 3.7% year on year to USD 58.21 billion. Shown are completed cars at a shipyard next to Hyundai Motor's plant in Ulsan. (Hyundai Motor Group)

By Xu Aiying

Exports in April grew for the third consecutive month to USD 58.21 billion.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on May 1 said this in its report on monthly trade trends, adding that exports in April rose 3.7% year on year to USD 58.21 billion, a record-high for the month.

Semiconductors, the No. 1 export item, saw overseas shipments grow 17.2% to USD 11.7 billion. Biohealth also set an April export mark with KRW 1.4 billion, up 14.6%, thanks to higher biopharmaceutical sales.

Cars, one of the country's top two exports, posted a 2025 best of USD 6.5 billion despite suffering a 3.8% decline from the figure in April last year.

Exports of agricultural, fisheries and food products set an April record of USD 1.1 billion due to the popularity of Korean food abroad. The global boom in Korean cosmetics and beauty helped the sector break its mark for the month with USD 1 billion.

By region, the U.S. took in Korean exports worth USD 10.6 billion, down 6.8% due to tariffs.

Those to China, however, rose 3.9% overall to USD 10.9 billion thanks to a rebound in semiconductor demand and double-digit growth in wireless communication devices.

Exports to member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations grew 4.5% to USD 9.4 billion, while those to the European Union jumped 18.4% to USD 6.7 billion.

Korea's imports last month dipped 2.7% to USD 53.32 billion.

xuaiy@korea.kr