South Korea exports show chip demand
Early April export data from South Korea showed a 36.7% year‑over‑year rise in overall exports, with semiconductors a major contributor and semiconductor imports up 29.7%—evidence that chip demand remains strong despite trade tensions. Analysts noted shipments to the U.S. increased, and regional coverage points to stronger‑than-expected resilience in export hubs like Singapore. (upi.com, straitstimes.com)
South Korea’s exports jumped 36.7 percent in the first 10 days of April, lifted by a surge in semiconductor shipments. (en.yna.co.kr) Outbound shipments reached $25.2 billion from April 1 to April 10, up from $18.4 billion a year earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service. Imports rose 12.7 percent to $22.1 billion, leaving a trade surplus of $3.1 billion. (en.yna.co.kr) Early-month trade data can swing with shipping calendars, but April’s first-10-day total was the highest ever recorded for that slice of the month, Korean media reports said. Semiconductor exports were the main driver, with one report putting chip shipments at $8.57 billion, up 152.5 percent from a year earlier. (chosun.com, biz.chosun.com) Semiconductors are the memory and logic chips that run phones, servers, cars and artificial intelligence systems. When South Korea’s chip exports rise this fast, it usually points to stronger factory orders across the global electronics supply chain. (upi.com, biz.chosun.com) The April figures landed as exporters across Asia are tracking new tariff risks and weaker confidence in global trade rules. South Korea’s data suggested chip demand was still outrunning that pressure at the start of the second quarter. (upi.com) Singapore’s latest official trade data pointed in the same direction. Non-oil domestic exports rose 4.0 percent in February 2026 after a 9.2 percent gain in January, while electronic exports jumped 43.2 percent in February after rising 56.1 percent a month earlier. (enterprisesg.gov.sg) Enterprise Singapore said non-oil domestic exports grew 6.7 percent across January and February combined to smooth out Lunar New Year timing effects. In February, the biggest electronics gains came from personal computers, integrated circuits and disk media products. (enterprisesg.gov.sg) DBS Group Research said on April 10 that Singapore’s March exports likely rose 10.3 percent from a year earlier, which would mark a seventh straight monthly increase. DBS said electronics were being supported by global artificial intelligence demand even as petrochemicals faced pressure from a Middle East-linked naphtha squeeze. (fxstreet.com) For South Korea, the next test is whether the strength in the April 1 to April 10 data carries through the rest of the month. For Asia’s export hubs, the common signal is that chips are still moving in volume even as trade tensions keep building. (en.yna.co.kr)
