On April 2, Jeong Woo Park, an economist at Nomura Securities, stated that driven by robust semiconductor exports, South Korea's trade surplus this year could surge from an estimated $77 billion in 2025 to approximately $200 billion. In March, fueled by strong chip demand, South Korea's export growth jumped to 48% from 29% in February. Park noted in his report that the upward trend in chips has not peaked, with price effects and AI demand continuing to sustain double-digit growth. Meanwhile, he downplayed concerns about the impact of Middle East conflicts on the supply of key inputs for chip manufacturing, stating that chip companies hold three to six months of inventory and the conflicts are unlikely to disrupt exports.
