Korea's Current Account Surplus Twice That of Japan... Gap Widens Due to Semiconductor Boom

According to reports from Japanese media outlets such as Nikkei and Jiji Press, citing preliminary balance of payments data from the Ministry of Finance on the 10th, Japan's current account surplus for September recorded 2.3723 trillion yen (approximately 20.2132 trillion KRW). This represents a decrease of 2.035 trillion yen (45.8%) compared to the same month last year and fell significantly short of the market expectation of 3.3544 trillion yen.
During the same period, South Korea's current account surplus reached $61.46 billion (approximately 83 trillion KRW), which is about four times that of Japan. For the cumulative period from January to September this year, South Korea recorded a surplus of $340.66 billion, while Japan's surplus stood at approximately 26.8 trillion yen (approximately $169.6 billion). Based on a comparison applying an exchange rate of 158 yen per dollar, South Korea's cumulative surplus is roughly twice that of Japan.
Korea's Current Account Surplus Twice That of Japan... Gap Widens Due to Semiconductor Boom Naver News Jan-Sept Cumulative: Korea $340.7B vs. Japan $169.6B, a Twofold Difference; Korea's Monthly Surplus Hits Record High Due to Surge in Semiconductor Exports... Japan's Surplus "Halved" as it Shifts to Trade Deficit; South Korea's current account surplus has expanded to twice the level of Japan, driven by the semiconductor export boom.