South Korea posted an all-time high current account surplus in May on robust exports of semiconductors, central bank data showed Wednesday.
The current account surplus totaled $38.61 billion in May, up from $28.29 billion the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea.
It marked the largest monthly current account surplus ever, renewing the previous record of $37.93 billion set in March.
Compared with the same month a year earlier, the figure surged from $9.91 billion.
South Korea has reported a current account surplus every month since May 2023, extending its winning streak to 37 consecutive months.
In 2025, the country posted its largest annual surplus on record at $123.05 billion, exceeding the previous high of $105.1 billion set in 2015.
The goods account posted a surplus of $37.86 billion in May, marking the largest, as exports surged 62.9 percent on-year to $94.34 billion, while imports went up 22.2 percent to about $56.48 billion.
Exports of information technology products soared 128.9 percent from a year earlier, including a 167.7 percent surge in chip shipments and a 249.4 percent rise in computer peripherals.
The services account recorded a deficit of $1.09 billion in May, narrowing the loss from the previous month's $2.42 billion on decreasing travel deficit and intellectual property-related payments.
The primary income account, which includes wages of foreign workers, as well as dividend and interest income from abroad, posted a surplus of $2.17 billion on increased dividend income.
The secondary income account recorded a $330 million deficit. (Yonhap)
