AI chips support half the economy, and South Korea is targeting a trillion-dollar export this year!

South Korea's exports have exceeded last year's total, with AI infrastructure investment becoming a major driving force. On September 5, Reuters reported that South Korea's total exports have reached $709.4 billion so far this year, surpassing the historical record of $709.3 billion for the entire year of 2025. The Korea Customs Service expects that South Korea is likely to break the $1 trillion mark by early December this year, becoming the fourth country in the world to cross this threshold in annual exports. Semiconductors are the core engine driving this round of export growth. From January to August, South Korea's chip export value surged by 169.6% year-on-year to $281 billion, accounting for 41% of total exports during the same period. The ongoing expansion of global AI infrastructure investment has led to a sharp increase in demand for memory chips, tightening supply and driving up prices, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix being the direct beneficiaries. At the same time, a rebounding demand in major markets has further supported South Korea's export growth. However, there remains a significant divergence in the export structure. As the second-largest export category, passenger cars saw overseas shipments decline by 4% year-on-year, indicating that current export growth in South Korea is highly reliant on semiconductors. The Korea Customs Service noted that despite uncertainties stemming from supply chain adjustments and the situation in the Middle East, South Korea's exports continue to maintain strong growth. If it surpasses $1 trillion by early December, South Korea's annual export volume will set another record. However, South Korea's current export growth is heavily dependent on semiconductors, and future performance will remain closely related to the global AI investment cycle. Continued construction of AI infrastructure will support chip demand and prices; if capital expenditure cools, the high dependency on semiconductors could also amplify fluctuations in exports. This article is sourced from "Wall Street News," author Li Jia, edited by Chen Qiuda.