今年韩国出口额逼近日本，韩产业界期待“追平乃至反超”

Group 1 - South Korea's export value is projected to historically approach Japan's, with the gap narrowing to less than $30 billion, raising expectations in the South Korean industry for a potential equalization or even surpassing Japan [1] - From January to October 2023, South Korea's total export amounted to $579.1 billion, while Japan's was $606.1 billion, marking the lowest recorded difference compared to the full year of 2024, which had a gap of $122.4 billion [1] - The export gap briefly narrowed to $3.2 billion in the first half of 2024 but widened again due to fluctuations in the international market in the latter half of the year [1] Group 2 - The improvement in South Korea's exports is heavily reliant on the semiconductor industry; excluding this category, overall exports would have shown negative growth [3] - From January to November 2023, South Korea's cumulative export value increased by 2.9% year-on-year, but exports of other categories, excluding semiconductors, declined by 1.5% [3] - In November 2023, semiconductor exports surged by 38.6% year-on-year, reaching a record high of $17.26 billion, accounting for 28.3% of total exports, the highest proportion for the year [3] - The export structure of South Korea is significantly concentrated on a single key category, with declines observed in 10 out of 15 major export categories, including petrochemicals, steel, petroleum products, automotive parts, and wireless communication devices [3] - This phenomenon is interpreted as an "export illusion" caused by a semiconductor supercycle, with potential significant impacts on the South Korean economy if semiconductor market conditions decline [3]