SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's July exports surged in double figures, marking the second-highest monthly performance thanks to an unprecedented boom in the semiconductor sector, government data showed Saturday.
The outbound shipments, which account for about half of the export-driven economy, jumped 62.8 percent from a year earlier to 98.89 billion dollars in July, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
The July reading was the second-highest after posting a record high of 102.2 billion dollars in the previous month.
Driven by the semiconductor boom, the Asian country extended its streak of setting new record highs for respective months to 14 consecutive months.
The daily average exports soared 69.6 percent to 4.12 billion dollars, surpassing 4 billion dollars for a third successive month.
Imports advanced 26.5 percent to 68.56 billion dollars in July, sending the trade surplus to 30.32 billion dollars.
Of the country's 20 major export items, 19 products saw a growth in outbound shipments.
Semiconductor exports skyrocketed 178.8 percent to 41.01 billion dollars, topping 40 billion dollars for two straight months.
The strong chip demand was fueled by global artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investments.
Computer exports spiked 404.0 percent to 4.79 billion dollars, boosted by robust demand for solid-state drives (SSDs) used in AI infrastructure.
Mobile phone shipments mounted 51.0 percent to 1.81 billion dollars on strong demand for premium smartphones, and display panel exports added 2.4 percent to 1.61 billion dollars.
Automotive exports increased 7.0 percent to 6.24 billion dollars owing to solid demand for eco-friendly vehicles, and auto parts shipment gained 2.2 percent to 1.95 billion dollars.
Exports of ships swelled 46.9 percent to 3.29 billion dollars in July, keeping an upward trend for six straight months on the back of rising delivery of LNG carriers and oil tankers.
Shipments for oil products grew 34.1 percent to 5.68 billion dollars amid higher oil prices, and petrochemical exports climbed 10.3 percent to 4.18 billion dollars.
Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, averaged 76.8 dollars per barrel in July, up 8.3 percent from a year earlier.
Steel products' exports rose 4.4 percent to 2.36 billion dollars on the increased construction of AI data centers, while non-ferrous metal products' shipments expanded 23.9 percent to 1.73 billion dollars.
General machinery shipments increased 5.9 percent to 4.53 billion dollars, and electrical equipment exports advanced 13.9 percent to 1.79 billion dollars, marking a record high for July on strong demand for power cables and electric motors.
Bio-health exports posted a record high for any July at 1.57 billion dollars, supported by expanding market share of biosimilars and increased supply in Europe.
Cosmetics shipments jumped 37.8 percent to 1.35 billion dollars due to expanding brick-and-mortar retail channels in the United States and Europe, while agricultural and fishery products' exports went up 2.3 percent to 1.09 billion dollars on high demand for instant noodles and snacks.
Exports to the United States surged 68.7 percent to 17.43 billion dollars as a result of robust demand for chips, steel products, computers and electrical equipment used for AI data centers.
Shipments to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations shot up 73.7 percent to 18.80 billion dollars, while exports to the European Union picked up 55.7 percent to 9.38 billion dollars.
Exports to the Middle East swelled 24.7 percent to 1.83 billion dollars, marking the first rebound since January.
Regarding import items, the import of three major energy sources, including crude oil, natural gas and coal, spiked 50.1 percent to 14.48 billion dollars in July.
Non-energy imports mounted 21.4 percent to 54.08 billion dollars on strong demand for semiconductor equipment and petrochemicals. ■