On September 8, strong semiconductor exports from South Korea prompted Barclays to raise its forecast for the country's current account surplus in the coming years. Barclays projects that South Korea's current account surplus will reach USD 440 billion in 2026 and USD 400 billion in 2027, both higher than previous forecasts. Bum Ki Son, an economist at Barclays, stated that this is primarily due to the export momentum driven by chips and the trade surplus in goods. According to customs data released last week, South Korea's exports had already surpassed the total for the entire year of 2025 by early September.
