Key facts
- South Korea's trade balance with China has moved into a surplus.
- Booming demand for memory chips is driving this surplus.
- The trade surplus with China was $3.8 billion in May.
- This marks a positive development for South Korea's trade with its largest partner.
South Korea has become a notable positive in East Asian trade dynamics with China, primarily due to a surge in demand for memory chips. This has shifted the country's trade balance with its largest trading partner from a deficit to a substantial surplus. The deficit of $764 million in December 2025 was followed by a $1.1 billion surplus in February, which then expanded further to $3.8 billion by May, according to data from South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and.