(MENAFN) South Korea defied economic headwinds Saturday as October exports climbed despite reduced working days and escalating U.S. trade barriers, propelled by explosive semiconductor demand, official figures revealed.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported outbound shipments surged 3.6 percent year-over-year to $59.57 billion last month, marking five consecutive months of growth since June. Exports comprise roughly half the trade-dependent nation's economic output.

Daily average exports skyrocketed 14.0 percent to a record $2.98 billion, compensating for shortened business hours during Chuseok—South Korea's traditional harvest festival equivalent to Thanksgiving.

Imports contracted 1.5 percent to $53.52 billion, generating a $6.06 billion trade surplus. The nation has maintained positive trade balances for nine straight months beginning in February.

Among 15 key export categories, four sectors posted gains.

Semiconductor shipments exploded 25.4 percent to $15.73 billion—the strongest October performance on record. Robust demand for advanced memory chips, including DDR5 and HBM variants powering generative AI processors, drove the surge alongside rising chip prices.

Maritime exports more than doubled to $4.69 billion, extending an eight-month rally fueled by strong appetite for large-scale offshore infrastructure.

Automotive exports tumbled 10.5 percent to $5.55 billion—the first decline in five months—as compressed production schedules and new U.S. tariffs took their toll.

Display panel shipments fell to $1.48 billion while mobile device exports reached $1.83 billion. Machinery exports plunged 16.1 percent to $3.33 billion.

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