Seoul: The Republic of Korea's monthly exports breached the US$80 billion mark for the first time ever in March, jumping nearly 50 percent from a year earlier on the back of record shipments of semiconductors, government data showed Wednesday.

Outbound shipments totalled $86.13 billion last month, up 48.3 percent on-year, Yonahp News Agency reported, citing data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.

The reading also marks a sharp increase from the previous monthly high of $69.5 billion posted in December 2025.

Imports rose 13.2 percent on-year to $60.4 billion in March, resulting in a trade surplus of $25.74 billion.

Semiconductor exports spiked 151.4 percent on-year to an all-time high of $32.83 billion last month, breaching the $30 billion mark for the first time ever.