South Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook has pledged to focus government policies on positioning the country among the world’s top five exporting nations amid strong growth in overseas trade.

Ms Han made the pledge on Tuesday during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Korea International Trade Association.

She said the government would pursue measures aimed at sustaining export growth through product diversification and expansion into new markets.

“The government will focus policy capabilities on the goal of becoming a top five global export powerhouse and will work to diversify products and markets in order to increase the sustainability of trade growth,” she said.

Ms Han said South Korea was on course to achieve $1 trillion in exports in 2026 and pledged to strengthen partnerships with key countries.

According to her, the government will intensify efforts to expand exports of strategic products, including semiconductors, automobiles and ships.

South Korea has recorded a strong export performance in 2026, driven largely by rising global demand for memory chips used in artificial intelligence servers.

Official data show that the country’s exports reached $496.7 billion in the first half of the year, representing a 48.4 per cent increase over the corresponding period of the previous year.

The country’s outbound shipments in June also rose by 70.9 per cent year-on-year to $102.25 billion, reflecting robust demand in major export sectors.

(Yonhap/NAN)