Exports $17.06B, imports
$12.61B, trade surplus $4.44B
Overall exports decrease
rate recorded the lowest this year, mainly due to price increase in memory
chips and turnaround in semiconductor exports to China
As of October 2023, ICT trade figures recorded $17.06B worth of exports,
$12.61B worth of imports, resulting in $4.44B worth of trade surplus,
tentatively.
October's ICT exports were positively influenced by a turnaround in memory
chip exports, a flagship export item, for the first time in 16 months. Memory
chip exports have increased by 1.0% to $4.51B, of which the cause is attributed
to the rise in unit prices, resulting in an overall reduction of semiconductor
exports depression. This trend of improvement has been persisting since April,
when the low point was reached.
* DRAM price per
unit by quarter (8Gb, $): 3rd quarter, 2021 4.10 → 1st quarter,
2022 3.41 → 3rd quarter, 2022 2.86 → 1st quarter, 2023
1.81 → 3rd quarter, 2023 1.31 → October, 2023 1.50
| Recent trends in ICT exports ($0.1B, %, compared to the same month of the last
year) | | | |
 | | |
|
By item, exports in display have
seen an increase (13.1%↑), while semiconductors (4.7%↓), mobile phones (3.3%↓),
computers and peripheral devices (26.2%↓), and communication equipment (23.4%↓)
have experienced a decrease.
By region, exports to Vietnam (0.3%↑)
have been increasing for 3 consecutive months, mainly due to increase in
display exports, whereas decline in China (3.5%↓),
the United States (14.7%↓), and the European Union (12.3%↓) is prolonging.
ICT imports*, worth a total of
$12.61B, have decreased by 8.3% compared to the same month of the last year
($13.76B), as a result of declined imports in major components, such as
semiconductors, which is in turn attributed to the delay in ICT demands
recovery.
* Key regions of
imports: China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, the US, etc.
Trends in ICT
exports, October 2023
Figures and
summary, by item
Semiconductors:
$8.97B, 4.7%↓
Korea's key export item, memory chips ($4.51B, 1.0%↑),
reversed the negative trend in 16 months, leading the overall improvement in
semiconductor exports decline rate. The decline rate has recorded 4.7%, the
lowest this year, gradually restoring from the low point reached in the first
quarter.
Exports in memory chips by month (billion $, %): July
2022 6.17 (13.5↓) → September 2023 5.43 (18.0↓) → October
2023 4.51 (1.0↑)
Exports in all semiconductors by month (billion $, %): January
2023 6.15 (43.5↓) → April 2023 6.47 (40.6↓) → July 2023
7.54 (33.7↓) → October 2023 8.97 (4.7↓)
In particular, fixed price per unit for memory chips has
turned to increase for the first time in 9 quarters since the 3rd
quarter in 2021, providing a condition for semiconductor exports recovery.
DRAM price per unit by quarter (8Gb, $): 3rd
quarter, 2021 4.10 → 1st quarter, 2022 3.41 → 3rd
quarter, 2022 2.86 → 1st quarter, 2023 1.81 → 3rd
quarter, 2023 1.31 → October, 2023 1.50
Display: $2.29B,
13.1%↑
Exports expansion in for-mobile OLED (organic light
emitting diodes) have led to the total growth of display exports for 3
consecutive months.
Exports increase in Vietnam ($1.52B, 23.5%↑), the
manufacture base for domestic mobile phone makers, have also aided to the total
growth.
Exports in display by month (billion $, %): July
2023 1.89 (5.4↓) → August 2023 2.13 (1.8↑) → September
2023 2.00 (1.0↑) → October 2023 2.29 (13.1↑)
Mobile phones:
$1.5B, 3.3%↓
The global depression in demand had led to exports
decrease in both end products ($0.26B, 10.1%↓) and partial products ($1.25B,
1.8%↓), resulting in decline for 9 consecutive months.
The US*, in exception, recorded exports increase for 5
consecutive months, focusing around premium end products.
Exports in mobile phone end products to the US by month
(billion $, %): May 2023 0.11 (0.3↓) → June 2023 0.07
(63.8↑) → October 2023 0.13 (810.5↑)
Computers and
peripheral devices: $0.76B, 26.2%↓
The decline was centered around electronic devices and
auxiliary storage for datacenters and servers (solid state drive, SSD, $0.42B,
42.9%↓).
Exports in computers and peripheral devices by month
(billion $, %): August 2023 0.66 (47.4↓) → September 2023
0.80 (48.0↓) → October 2023 0.76 (26.2↓)
Communication
equipment: $0.20B, 23.4%↓
Despite few regions including Japan ($0.03B, 50.3%↑) have
seen an increase, the amount of total exports decreased due to lesser infrastructure
investments following the global economic slowdown.
Exports in communication equipment by month (billion $,
%): August 2023 0.20 (9.6↓) → September 2023 0.22 (17.2↓)
→ October 2023 0.20 (23.4↓)
※ Trends
in ICT exports by SMEs and middle market enterprises (compared to the same
month of the last year) • SMEs
and middle market enterprises: $4.87B, 3.3%↓ - While exports in computers and peripheral devices
($0.19B, 5.0$↑) have risen, exports in semiconductors ($2.43B, 8.6%↓) and
display ($0.19B, 2.7%↓) have declined. - SMEs ($1.43B, 5.4↑), in particular, have seen an
increase in semiconductor ($0.26B, 20.3%↑) and computer and peripheral
devices ($0.15B, 11.0%↑) exports. |
Figure and summary, by region
China
: $7.55B, 3.5%↓
The decreasing trend in exports to China fell to the
first single-digit rate since September 2022, due to partial recovery of IT
device demand in China, and the resulting turnaround in semiconductor exports
($5.10B, 1.1%↑) for the first time in 16 months.
Exports in semiconductors to China by month (billion $, %): July 2022 6.39 (3.2↓) → September
2023 5.18 (22.7↓) → October 2023 5.10 (1.1↑)
Exports to China by month
(billion $, %): September 2022 9.63 (4.9↓) → September 2023
7.51 (22.0↓) → October 2023 7.55 (3.5↓)
Vietnam: $3.22B,
0.3%↑
As the manufacture base for domestic mobile phone makers,
for-mobile display exports have expanded, resulting in total exports increase
for 3 consecutive months.
Exports in display to Vietnam by month (billion $, %): June
2023 0.88 (5.2↓) → July 2023 1.17 (4.9↑) → October 2023
1.52 (23.5↑)
Exports to Vietnam by month (billion $, %): July
2023 2.52 (18.7↓) → August 2023 3.05 (1.7↑) → September
2023 3.10 (1.9↑) → October 2023 3.22 (0.3↑)
US: $1.74B, 14.7%↓
While mobile phone exports ($0.15B, 215.2%↑) have
increased, semiconductors ($0.49B, 6.8%↓) and computers and peripheral devices
($0.21B, 52.4%↓) have seen a decrease.
Exports to the US by month (billion $, %): August
2023 1.65 (29.5↓) → September 2023 2.18 (18.7↓) → October
2023 1.74 (14.7↓)
EU: $0.85B, 12.3%↓
Exports in semiconductors ($0.19B, 6.4%↓), mobile phones
($0.09B, 39.8$↓), computers and peripheral devices ($0.11B, 14.3%↓) have
declined.
Exports to the EU by month (billion $, %): August
2023 0.84 (20.0↓) → September 2023 0.95 (12.2↓) → October
2023 0.85 (12.3↓)
Japan: $0.35B,
2.8%↓
While communication equipment ($0.03B, 50.3%↑) have seen
an increase, other areas including semiconductors ($0.09B, 20.4%↓) and mobile
phones ($0.02B, 31.2%↓) have declined.
Exports to Japan by month (billion $, %): August
2023 0.38 (13.0↑) → September 2023 0.34 (21.0↓) → October
2023 0.35 (2.8↓)
Trends in ICT
imports, October 2023
(By item) Increase in display ($0.47B, 58.0%↑), decrease
in semiconductors ($5.64B, 15.0%↓), computers and peripheral devices ($1.08B,
19.7%↓), and mobile phones ($1.51B, 5.8%↓).
(By region) Increase in Vietnam ($1.02B, 18.4%↑) and the
US ($0.80B, 12.1%↑), decrease in China ($5.04B,
20.7%↓), Taiwan ($1.71B, 4.9%↓), and Japan
($1.15B, 11.7%↓).
For further information, please contact the Public
Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr)
of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
please refer to the attached PDF.