Signal Exports equal about 40 percent of Korean GDP

Summary

The KDI report states that exports account for roughly 40% of Korea's GDP, a sign that growth still relies heavily on manufactured exports. For comparison, the ratio is 47% in Germany and 90% in the Netherlands, but only 11% in the United States and 18% in Japan. Korea's exports are also concentrated in a handful of products, notably semiconductors, cars, petrochemicals and displays. The report argues that this combination makes Korea more directly exposed to deglobalisation than most advanced economies. At the same time, its hard-to-replace position in chips and batteries can serve as bargaining leverage if internal capacity supports it.