South Korea's First-Time Exporters Rise Nearly 4% in 2025
En resumen
- South Korea saw a nearly 4% increase in first-time exporters in 2025, reaching 19,746 businesses.
- Their combined exports rose 13.2% to $6.9 billion, marking the largest on-year increase in five years and adding vitality to the country's export sector.
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Por qué importa
The number of South Korean businesses with no export records in the previous three years increased by nearly 4% in 2025, reaching 19,746. This marks the largest on-year increase in five years.
SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- The number of first-time exporters, defined as businesses with no export records in the previous three years, rose nearly 4 percent in 2025 from a year earlier, data showed Monday.
The total number of such businesses came to 19,746 in 2025, up from 19,041 a year earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service.
It marked the largest on-year increase in the past five years, adding fresh vitality to the country's exports, the agency said.
The companies' combined exports rose 13.2 percent from a year earlier to US$6.9 billion, marking the highest level since 2019.
By product category, machinery and computers accounted for 10.9 percent of first-time exporters, followed by electrical products at 8.5 percent and cosmetics at 7 percent.
The average export value per company came to $350,000, with exports remaining below $100,000 for 80 percent of the first-time exporters.
Preguntas abiertas
- What specific policies contributed to the rise in first-time exporters?
- Which countries were the primary destinations for these new exports?
- What is the long-term retention rate of these first-time exporters?
