Optical fibres, polarising sheets and lenses: South Korea exports and imports
HS 9001 · 광섬유와 광섬유 다발, 제8544호의 것 외의 광섬유 케이블, 편광재료(polarizing material)로 만든 판, 각종 재료로 만든 렌즈(콘택트렌즈를 포함한다)ㆍ프리즘ㆍ반사경과 그 밖의 광학소자로서 장착되지 않은 것(광학적으로 가공하지 않은 유리로 만든 광학소자는 제외한다) · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $166.0 million of optical fibres, polarising sheets and lenses (HS 9001), down 6.3% from September 2026 and down 12.9% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of optical fibres, polarising sheets and lenses (HS 9001) totalled $2.24 billion, down 12.8% from the 12 months before ($2.57 billion).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was China ($1.25 billion, 55.9% of the total), followed by Vietnam and Hong Kong.
That was 12.7% of South Korea's exports under HS chapter 90 (optical, measuring and medical instruments) over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $88.6 million (up 2.6% from October 2025), leaving a surplus of $77.5 million for the month.
Official description of HS 9001: Optical fibres and optical fibre bundles; optical fibre cables other than those of heading 85.44; sheets and plates of polarising material; lenses (including contact lenses), prisms, mirrors and other optical elements, of any material, unmounted, other than such elements of glass not optically worked.
Last 24 months
Subheadings under HS 9001
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9001.10 | Optical fibres, optical fibre bundles and cables | $39.7M | 1.8% | +43.8% | $3.8M |
| 9001.20 | Sheets and plates of polarising material | $1.32B | 59.1% | -17.7% | $93.4M |
| 9001.30 | Contact lenses | $231.5M | 10.3% | +11.6% | $16.0M |
| 9001.40 | Spectacle lenses of glass | $351 | 0.0% | -97.1% | $23 |
| 9001.50 | Spectacle lenses of other materials | $35.0M | 1.6% | -0.6% | $3.3M |
| 9001.50.1000 | For vision correction | $34.5M | 98.6% | -0.7% | $3.2M |
| 9001.50.9000 | Other | $499K | 1.4% | +14.1% | $14K |
| 9001.90 | Other | $608.9M | 27.2% | -11.6% | $49.6M |
| 9001.90.1000 | Prisms | $36.0M | 5.9% | +9.1% | $1.8M |
| 9001.90.2000 | Mirrors | $5.3M | 0.9% | -4.4% | $455K |
| 9001.90.3000 | Other lenses | $35.5M | 5.8% | -16.4% | $2.8M |
| 9001.90.9000 | Other | $532.1M | 87.4% | -12.5% | $44.5M |
Six-digit codes are international; the indented ten-digit codes are South Korea's own subdivision. These rows are world totals; "Share" is the share of the row above.
Top destinations
Export value over the 12 months to October 2026. 127 countries received this product from South Korea in the last 24 months; the table shows the largest 20.
| Rank | Country | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | Rank before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $1.25B | 55.9% | -12.5% | 1 | $84.8M |
| 2 | Vietnam | $244.7M | 10.9% | -17.4% | 2 | $22.2M |
| 3 | Hong Kong | $187.2M | 8.4% | +5.0% | 3 | $19.1M |
| 4 | Japan | $154.9M | 6.9% | -9.7% | 4 | $11.5M |
| 5 | United States | $84.9M | 3.8% | -14.0% | 5 | $8.0M |
| 6 | Mexico | $62.5M | 2.8% | -33.2% | 6 | $2.6M |
| 7 | Brazil | $27.6M | 1.2% | +17.9% | 9 | $1.2M |
| 8 | Taiwan | $25.5M | 1.1% | -17.5% | 7 | $2.5M |
| 9 | Thailand | $17.8M | 0.8% | +23.2% | 13 | $1.3M |
| 10 | Egypt | $16.0M | 0.7% | -43.8% | 8 | $1.9M |
| 11 | Germany | $14.3M | 0.6% | -7.1% | 11 | $1.2M |
| 12 | India | $12.0M | 0.5% | -12.5% | 14 | $1.1M |
| 13 | Saudi Arabia | $11.8M | 0.5% | +5.9% | 18 | $852K |
| 14 | Malaysia | $11.7M | 0.5% | -5.0% | 16 | $916K |
| 15 | Italy | $10.5M | 0.5% | +4.6% | 19 | $832K |
| 16 | Poland | $9.5M | 0.4% | -19.7% | 17 | $463K |
| 17 | Indonesia | $9.3M | 0.4% | -46.7% | 10 | $659K |
| 18 | Russia | $7.8M | 0.3% | +64.6% | 25 | $309K |
| 19 | Hungary | $7.6M | 0.3% | -47.8% | 12 | $7,095 |
| 20 | Netherlands | $7.5M | 0.3% | +32.0% | 22 | $294K |
Countries are linked when exports of this product to them reached $5,000,000 over 24 months.
Monthly figures
| Month | Exports | vs year earlier | Export weight | Export $/kg | Imports | Import weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | $166.0M | -12.9% | 5,380 t | $30.86 | $88.6M | 1,448 t |
| September 2026 | $177.1M | -20.8% | 5,385 t | $32.90 | $101.4M | 1,761 t |
| August 2026 | $165.5M | -20.3% | 5,467 t | $30.27 | $100.8M | 1,869 t |
| July 2026 | $190.5M | -13.0% | 6,302 t | $30.23 | $104.9M | 1,806 t |
| June 2026 | $203.6M | +2.6% | 5,865 t | $34.72 | $105.2M | 1,861 t |
| May 2026 | $172.4M | -17.3% | 4,676 t | $36.88 | $87.6M | 1,631 t |
| April 2026 | $190.0M | -14.5% | 6,142 t | $30.94 | $106.7M | 2,013 t |
| March 2026 | $177.9M | -14.8% | 5,689 t | $31.27 | $101.9M | 1,944 t |
| February 2026 | $176.2M | -26.6% | 6,244 t | $28.22 | $92.2M | 1,883 t |
| January 2026 | $195.2M | -1.5% | 6,706 t | $29.11 | $98.6M | 1,717 t |
| December 2025 | $233.3M | -4.6% | 7,499 t | $31.11 | $109.0M | 2,229 t |
| November 2025 | $191.3M | -7.3% | 5,905 t | $32.40 | $89.6M | 1,567 t |
| October 2025 | $190.5M | -9.8% | 5,840 t | $32.63 | $86.3M | 1,510 t |
| September 2025 | $223.5M | +6.9% | 6,838 t | $32.69 | $104.7M | 1,755 t |
| August 2025 | $207.7M | -9.9% | 6,505 t | $31.94 | $102.9M | 1,798 t |
| July 2025 | $219.0M | -12.7% | 7,318 t | $29.92 | $108.1M | 1,998 t |
| June 2025 | $198.5M | -11.3% | 6,400 t | $31.02 | $94.2M | 1,795 t |
| May 2025 | $208.6M | -12.2% | 6,546 t | $31.87 | $90.4M | 1,552 t |
| April 2025 | $222.1M | -7.8% | 6,889 t | $32.24 | $113.9M | 2,130 t |
| March 2025 | $208.8M | -6.0% | 6,925 t | $30.15 | $88.5M | 2,110 t |
| February 2025 | $240.2M | +6.1% | 8,963 t | $26.80 | $100.0M | 2,200 t |
| January 2025 | $198.2M | -11.5% | 7,773 t | $25.50 | $96.0M | 3,202 t |
| December 2024 | $244.6M | +13.4% | 8,851 t | $27.63 | $105.1M | 2,317 t |
| November 2024 | $206.3M | +10.4% | 7,702 t | $26.78 | $92.7M | 1,956 t |
Exports FOB, imports CIF, US dollars. Weight is net weight. "vs year earlier" compares export value with the same month one year before and is left blank when that month was under $10,000. Source: Korea Customs Service, via data.go.kr.