Key facts
- South Korea's current account surplus reached US$116.63 billion in the second quarter.
- The surplus was driven by surging demand for semiconductors.
South Korea achieved a record current account surplus of US$116.63 billion in the second quarter, surpassing the combined surpluses of Germany and Japan. This economic performance was largely fueled by a surge in demand for semiconductors, a key component in artificial intelligence technologies. The current account surplus indicates that the nation earned more foreign currency from trade and investments than it spent.