South Korean exports seen rising for 16th month on solid AI chip demand: Reuters poll

SEOUL, Sept 29 : South Korean exports likely rose for a 16th consecutive month in September on solid chip demand tied to AI investments, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday, though growth was seen moderating due to fewer working days compared with a year earlier.

Exports from Asia's fourth-largest economy, a bellwether for global trade, were forecast to have risen 62.0 per cent this month from a year earlier, after rising 68.7 per cent in August, a median forecast of 18 economists showed.

The growth would be the slowest in four months, but analysts said demand remained robust and that calendar effects likely skewed the headline figure.

September has 21.5 working days, down from 24 days a year earlier, because the Chuseok holidays fell in September this year and in October last year.

In the first 20 days of this month before the Chuseok holidays, exports rose 78.3 per cent to a record, as semiconductor sales increased 259.4 per cent. Measured by working day, exports were up 89.8 per cent on average.

"The boom in semiconductor exports will persist as increasing trends in AI hyper-scaler investments continue," said An Ki-tae, an economist at NH Investment Securities.

Exports have risen steadily since June 2025, riding the global boom in AI investments, and posted double-digit annual growth rates since December. Growth peaked in June at 70.4 per cent, the strongest pace in nearly half a century.

Calls for a slowdown in AI development have grown recently among industry leaders over worries about its dangers.

In September, imports were projected to have risen 21.5 per cent, after 22.4 per cent growth in August.

The median forecast was for a record monthly trade surplus of $38.15 billion, up from $34.79 billion in the previous month.

South Korea is scheduled to report its trade figures for September on Thursday, October 1, at 9 a.m. (0000 GMT).