Core Insights - The South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT reported that the export value of information and communication technology services reached $6.37 billion in the first half of this year, marking a year-on-year increase of 19.3% [1] - The import value was $4.8 billion, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 12.3%, resulting in a trade surplus of $1.57 billion [1] - The surplus from intellectual property usage fees accounted for the entire trade surplus, amounting to $1.57 billion [1] Industry Performance - The export of information and communication technology services has experienced an average annual growth of 10.1% over the past five years [1] - Factors contributing to the continued growth in exports include the proliferation of artificial intelligence, cloud services, the global influence of K-content, and increased demand for platform-based software [1] Sector Breakdown - Game software exports totaled $2.84 billion, representing 44% of the total exports [1] - Other significant sectors include information services (15%), software packages (13%), information technology services (12%), and digital content (10%) [1] Regional Analysis - Asia led the export market with $3.5 billion, accounting for 55% of total exports [1] - North America followed, with an increase in information services exports reaching $1.78 billion, which is 28% of the total [1]