South Korea's February Exports Expected to Rise Amid AI Investment Surge

South Korea's exports are projected to increase for the ninth consecutive month in February, driven by a global surge in artificial intelligence investments that have significantly boosted chip sales. According to Jin10, a Reuters survey indicates that the median forecast from nine analysts predicts a 24.0% year-on-year growth in South Korea's exports for February. Although this growth rate is lower than January's 33.8% increase, which marked the strongest growth since August 2021, it remains the second-fastest year-on-year growth in the current cycle that began in June 2025. Economists highlight that chip prices are rising faster than anticipated, while inventories remain low, suggesting that semiconductor exports will continue to show strong momentum. Stephen Lee, an analyst at Seoul's Meritz Securities, noted that there is a high likelihood of semiconductor export growth exceeding 100% in the first half of the year.