Data released by South Korean customs on Monday reveals that export values for the first 20 days of September surged 78% year-on-year, reaching $71.4 billion, largely fueled by robust semiconductor sales.

Imports during the same window climbed 26.7% to $48.4 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $2.3 billion for the period.

Breaking down the product categories, chip exports skyrocketed by 259% to total $34.12 billion. Meanwhile, petroleum products and automobiles saw their export figures rise by 47.8% and 9.3%, hitting $4 billion and $3.73 billion respectively. Other notable performers included steel goods and ships, which posted gains of 8% and 63% in export value. Conversely, mobile device shipments edged down 0.4% to $1.24 billion.

Looking at trading partners, exports to China more than doubled to $16.6 billion, while shipments to the United States also surged impressively, jumping 118% to $14.2 billion.

Cumulative exports for the year up to September 20 stand at $764.9 billion, with the total trade surplus having reached $225.5 billion.