South Korea exports: July 2026
Monthly report, generated from Korea Customs Service statistics
In July 2026, South Korea exported $99.18 billion of goods, down 2.7% from June 2026 and up 63.4% from July 2025.
The three largest destinations were China ($21.69 billion, 21.9%), the United States ($17.50 billion, 17.6%), Vietnam ($9.87 billion, 10.0%).
Compared with July 2025, the largest increases in export value by destination were China (+$10.65 billion), the United States (+$7.17 billion), Vietnam (+$4.33 billion).
The largest decreases by destination were Liberia (-$365.9 million), Kazakhstan (-$117.4 million), Kyrgyzstan (-$103.8 million).
Within the top 10 destinations, the Netherlands moved from 13th to 6th, Singapore moved from 7th to 10th, Hong Kong moved from 6th to 4th compared with July 2025.
Top destinations
| Rank | Country | Exports | Share | vs June 2026 | vs July 2025 | Rank a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $21.69B | 21.9% | +8.5% | +96.5% | 1 |
| 2 | United States | $17.50B | 17.6% | -12.6% | +69.4% | 2 |
| 3 | Vietnam | $9.87B | 10.0% | +14.5% | +78.2% | 3 |
| 4 | Hong Kong | $6.66B | 6.7% | -26.8% | +183.5% | 6 |
| 5 | Taiwan | $5.69B | 5.7% | -31.6% | +22.3% | 4 |
| 6 | Netherlands | $3.15B | 3.2% | +125.6% | +224.9% | 13 |
| 7 | Japan | $2.75B | 2.8% | -1.6% | +10.8% | 5 |
| 8 | India | $2.58B | 2.6% | +22.8% | +45.2% | 8 |
| 9 | Malaysia | $2.58B | 2.6% | +4.8% | +145.5% | 11 |
| 10 | Singapore | $2.49B | 2.5% | -20.3% | +38.7% | 7 |
| 11 | Australia | $1.91B | 1.9% | -7.3% | +58.8% | 9 |
| 12 | Philippines | $1.90B | 1.9% | -4.3% | +81.0% | 12 |
| 13 | Mexico | $1.33B | 1.3% | -15.4% | +23.4% | 10 |
| 14 | Canada | $1.05B | 1.1% | -10.0% | +30.8% | 15 |
| 15 | Thailand | $1.03B | 1.0% | -2.2% | +49.0% | 19 |
Largest changes by destination
Change in export value compared with July 2025, ranked by dollar amount.
| Country | July 2026 | July 2025 | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | $21.69B | $11.04B | +$10.65B | +96.5% |
| United States | $17.50B | $10.33B | +$7.17B | +69.4% |
| Vietnam | $9.87B | $5.54B | +$4.33B | +78.2% |
| Hong Kong | $6.66B | $2.35B | +$4.31B | +183.5% |
| Netherlands | $3.15B | $968.4M | +$2.18B | +224.9% |
| Country | July 2026 | July 2025 | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberia | $421.1M | $786.9M | -$365.9M | -46.5% |
| Kazakhstan | $157.2M | $274.6M | -$117.4M | -42.8% |
| Kyrgyzstan | $214.3M | $318.1M | -$103.8M | -32.6% |
| Slovakia | $210.3M | $306.7M | -$96.4M | -31.4% |
| Hungary | $262.1M | $351.9M | -$89.8M | -25.5% |
Chapters
The 20 largest of 96 HS chapters by export value this month.
Compared with July 2025, the largest increases in export value by chapter were Electrical machinery and electronics (HS 85) (+$25.34 billion), Machinery, boilers and computers (HS 84) (+$6.15 billion), Mineral fuels, oils and their products (HS 27) (+$1.86 billion).
The largest decreases by chapter were Oil seeds, grains, seeds and medicinal plants (HS 12) (-$31.6 million), Zinc and articles thereof (HS 79) (-$24.0 million), Works of art and antiques (HS 97) (-$21.1 million).
Imports in July 2026 were $68.53 billion (up 26.5% from July 2025), leaving a surplus of $30.66 billion for the month.
| Code | Product | Exports | Share | vs June 2026 | vs July 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Electrical machinery and electronics | $45.33B | 45.7% | -2.0% | +126.8% |
| 84 | Machinery, boilers and computers | $13.64B | 13.7% | -16.6% | +82.2% |
| 87 | Vehicles, parts and accessories | $8.31B | 8.4% | -4.9% | +7.9% |
| 27 | Mineral fuels, oils and their products | $6.26B | 6.3% | +13.2% | +42.1% |
| 39 | Plastics and articles thereof | $3.41B | 3.4% | +3.6% | +11.4% |
| 89 | Ships and boats | $3.07B | 3.1% | +15.1% | +48.6% |
| 72 | Iron and steel | $2.10B | 2.1% | +6.3% | +1.0% |
| 29 | Organic chemicals | $1.86B | 1.9% | +10.4% | +14.4% |
| 90 | Optical, measuring and medical instruments | $1.65B | 1.7% | +1.7% | +12.4% |
| 33 | Essential oils, perfumery and cosmetics | $1.30B | 1.3% | +1.0% | +36.7% |
| 71 | Pearls, precious stones and precious metals | $1.23B | 1.2% | -21.6% | +89.2% |
| 28 | Inorganic chemicals | $1.08B | 1.1% | +8.5% | +38.3% |
| 73 | Articles of iron or steel | $934.6M | 0.9% | +15.9% | +21.2% |
| 30 | Pharmaceutical products | $850.2M | 0.9% | -26.6% | +45.5% |
| 74 | Copper and articles thereof | $801.3M | 0.8% | -7.6% | +22.0% |
| 40 | Rubber and articles thereof | $753.5M | 0.8% | +0.9% | +12.8% |
| 38 | Miscellaneous chemical products | $745.4M | 0.8% | +3.9% | +14.5% |
| 76 | Aluminium and articles thereof | $638.5M | 0.6% | -5.0% | +34.8% |
| 93 | Arms and ammunition | $325.6M | 0.3% | +42.2% | +43.6% |
| 88 | Aircraft and spacecraft | $308.0M | 0.3% | +11.5% | +50.2% |
Largest changes by 4-digit heading
Change in export value compared with July 2025, ranked by dollar amount.
| Heading | July 2026 | July 2025 | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic integrated circuits (semiconductor chips) | $32.72B | $12.29B | +$20.44B | +166.3% |
| Parts and accessories for computers and office machines | $7.74B | $1.95B | +$5.79B | +296.3% |
| Solid-state storage devices, discs and other recording media | $4.59B | $828.1M | +$3.76B | +454.4% |
| Refined petroleum oils | $6.03B | $4.14B | +$1.88B | +45.5% |
| Cargo ships, tankers and passenger ships | $3.05B | $2.05B | +$993.3M | +48.4% |
| Telephones, smartphones and network equipment | $1.17B | $527.2M | +$647.7M | +122.9% |
| Passenger cars | $5.93B | $5.49B | +$441.2M | +8.0% |
| Gold | $572.7M | $215.0M | +$357.7M | +166.4% |
| Heading | July 2026 | July 2025 | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombs, missiles, ammunition and parts | $126.9M | $212.3M | -$85.4M | -40.2% |
| Flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel, hot-rolled | $440.0M | $521.3M | -$81.3M | -15.6% |
| Spark-ignition reciprocating or rotary internal combustion piston engines | $127.4M | $194.7M | -$67.3M | -34.6% |
| Flat-rolled iron or non-alloy steel, coated or plated | $493.1M | $559.4M | -$66.4M | -11.9% |
| Machines and mechanical appliances with individual functions | $457.5M | $522.1M | -$64.7M | -12.4% |
| Motor vehicles for the transport of goods | $243.6M | $286.3M | -$42.7M | -14.9% |
| Gas turbines and turbo-jets | $114.9M | $152.9M | -$38.1M | -24.9% |
| Coal tar distillation oils (benzene, toluene, xylene) | $113.2M | $150.8M | -$37.6M | -25.0% |
Exports FOB, imports CIF, US dollars. Percentages are left blank when the earlier month was under $10,000. Figures are as downloaded on 2026-11-13; the source can revise them later. Source: Korea Customs Service, via data.go.kr.