South Korea's October exports nearly double as AI-driven chip sales jump 259%

South Korea's exports rose 93.7% year on year to $115.3 billion in October, the fastest growth since January 1974, as semiconductor shipments surged 259% to $56.4 billion on AI data center demand, trade ministry data showed. Computer exports, mostly servers, rose 497%. Shipments to the US climbed 185.8% and to China 133.6%. Extra working days flattered the comparison; adjusted for that, exports rose 76.1%. The ministry expects annual exports to top $1 trillion this month.