South Korea's exports continued to rise for the eighth consecutive month in May, driven by strong semiconductor shipments, according to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Outbound shipments increased by 11.7 percent year-on-year to $58.1 billion, while imports decreased by 2 percent to $53.1 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.96 billion. This marks the 12th consecutive month of trade surplus for South Korea, the highest in 41 months. The growth in exports was led by a 54.5 percent increase in semiconductor exports, reaching $11.38 billion, driven by global demand for automotive and premium memory chips. Other sectors that saw significant growth included display products, car exports, and ships, with major gains in petroleum, electronics, petrochemical, and textile products. The increase in exports was also supported by rising demand from key markets such as China, the United States, and Southeast Asia. South Korea's Industry Minister emphasized the significance of the country's sustained trade surplus and expressed the government's commitment to maintaining the momentum in exports.