US imports from South Korea nearly double to a record

The news

US imports from South Korea reached a record $19.2 billion in September, up 89% from a year earlier, according to Census Bureau data. It was the highest monthly total since the series began in 1985.

Imports totaled $129.2 billion in the first nine months of the year, up 35% from the same period in 2025.
The US goods trade deficit with South Korea reached $12.2 billion in September, the fifth largest among US trading partners.

Why it matters: The AI infrastructure boom is driving a sharp increase in US imports from South Korea, adding to the surge in shipments from Taiwan.

The details

South Korea’s own trade figures show a similar jump, with exports to the US rising 137% to $24.33 billion in September. Chips, petrochemicals and general machinery led the increase, per the country's trade ministry.

Korean chip exports to all markets jumped 263% to $60.3 billion, their first month above $60 billion. Higher prices and strong memory-chip demand drove the increase.
The country’s total exports reached a record $120.9 billion, up 83.5%.
Exports to the US rose another 186% to $24.9 billion in October, according to the latest figures. Demand for chips, computers and electrical equipment used in AI infrastructure drove the gain.

The surge mirrors Taiwan’s, where AI server demand helped push US imports to a record $28.4 billion in September. Across all trading partners, US computer imports rose $7.6 billion and computer accessory imports increased $5.7 billion that month, Commerce Department data show.

Total US goods imports reached a record $346.9 billion in September.
Semiconductor imports, however, fell $1.2 billion.

September imports from South Korea were nearly three times their 2019 monthly average of $6.5 billion. Monthly imports first topped $15 billion in June, with new records in July and September.