Despite tougher U.S. tariff policy, exports of information and communication technology hit a record high for August thanks to strong semiconductor demand. Shown is an aerial view of Busan New Port in Busan's Gangseo-gu District. (Busan Port Authority)

By Jeon Misun

Despite tougher U.S. tariff policy, Korean exports of information and communication technology (ICT) hit a record-high for August thanks to strong demand for semiconductors

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Sept. 14 said such shipments last month rose 11.1% year on year to USD 22.87 billion. Imports rose 7.6% to USD 12.53 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of USD 10.34 billion.

By item, semiconductor saw exports surge 27% to an all-time high of USD 15.11 billion, while those of communications equipment inched up 1.8%. Overseas shipments of displays, however, fell 9.4%, smartphones 15.4%, and computers and peripherals 16.6%.

The surge in chip exports was mainly attributed to rising memory prices and growing demand due to expanded investment in artificial intelligence servers.

The rise in ICT imports was largely attributed to a 249.1% jump (USD 200 million) in graphics processing units for data centers.

The export market seeing the biggest growth was Taiwan with 65.6%, followed by Vietnam (18%), the European Union (8.2 %), Japan (3.9%) and China (0.3%). Those to the U.S., however, fell 9.9%.

msjeon22@korea.kr