S. Korea Conglomerate Exports Surge 103.5 Percent on Chip Boom Frenzy
(MENAFN) South Korea’s large conglomerates more than doubled their exports in the third quarter, powered by a chip boom that is deepening the divide between big business and smaller firms, government figures showed Tuesday.
Total outbound shipments reached 318.6 billion U.S. dollars in the July-September period, a 72.3 percent jump from a year earlier, according to joint data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics and the Korea Customs Service.
Shipments by large enterprises soared 103.5 percent from the same quarter last year, lifted by chip heavyweights such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
The pace has quickened sharply. After hovering in single digits, conglomerate export growth rose from 10.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 to 53.9 percent in the first quarter of 2026 and 81.7 percent in the second quarter, before breaking into triple digits in the third.
Smaller players lagged far behind. Exports by middle-market companies grew 12.8 percent in the third quarter, up from 10.8 percent in the prior quarter. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) posted a 10.7 percent gain, slower than the 12.7 percent expansion recorded in the second quarter.
Middle-market firms are officially designated as high potential enterprises (HPEs) in South Korea. They have outgrown SMEs in revenue and assets but remain smaller than the major conglomerates.
The surge in tech giants’ sales has sharpened market concentration. The top 10 exporters accounted for 60.9 percent of total exports in the third quarter, up 20.3 percentage points from a year earlier. Widening the lens to the top 100 exporters, their combined share climbed 11.5 percentage points to 79.4 percent.
Total outbound shipments reached 318.6 billion U.S. dollars in the July-September period, a 72.3 percent jump from a year earlier, according to joint data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics and the Korea Customs Service.
Shipments by large enterprises soared 103.5 percent from the same quarter last year, lifted by chip heavyweights such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
The pace has quickened sharply. After hovering in single digits, conglomerate export growth rose from 10.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 to 53.9 percent in the first quarter of 2026 and 81.7 percent in the second quarter, before breaking into triple digits in the third.
Smaller players lagged far behind. Exports by middle-market companies grew 12.8 percent in the third quarter, up from 10.8 percent in the prior quarter. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) posted a 10.7 percent gain, slower than the 12.7 percent expansion recorded in the second quarter.
Middle-market firms are officially designated as high potential enterprises (HPEs) in South Korea. They have outgrown SMEs in revenue and assets but remain smaller than the major conglomerates.
The surge in tech giants’ sales has sharpened market concentration. The top 10 exporters accounted for 60.9 percent of total exports in the third quarter, up 20.3 percentage points from a year earlier. Widening the lens to the top 100 exporters, their combined share climbed 11.5 percentage points to 79.4 percent.
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