South Korea’s current account surplus surged to a record USD 61.46 billion in September 2026, up sharply from USD 46.11 billion in August. The goods account surplus expanded to USD 62.75 billion from USD 46.81 billion, as exports soared 92.4% year-on-year to USD 130.72 billion and imports increased 29.4% to USD 67.97 billion. The export boom was driven largely by robust semiconductor shipments amid the global AI upcycle.
The primary income account surplus also widened, rising to USD 2.65 billion from USD 1.92 billion, while the secondary income deficit narrowed to USD 0.59 billion from USD 0.94 billion, reflecting a reduction in net secondary income outflows. In contrast, the services account deficit deepened to USD 3.35 billion from USD 1.68 billion, mainly due to larger deficits in the use of intellectual property and other business services.
Over the first nine months of 2026, the current account surplus jumped to USD 340.66 billion, compared with USD 89.39 billion in the same period of 2025.