12,602 companies recorded — firms overcome uncertainty to underpin sustained export growth
The number of companies that entered the export market the previous year and sustained export activity for a full year — known as "surviving firms" — rose 1.9 percent from a year earlier to 12,602 in 2025.
The Korea Customs Service's 2025 corporate trade activity statistics, released Tuesday, show the figure is the highest in five years and accounted for 12.4 percent of all companies with export activity in 2025.
These firms overcame the difficulties of early market entry and continued exporting, supporting the sustained growth of South Korea's exports.
Their combined export value rose 22.7 percent year-on-year to $10.1 billion, representing 12.4 percent of all exporting companies' revenue. The group contributed to South Korea's exports surpassing $700 billion for the first time last year, reaching $709.3 billion.
The top export categories were machinery and computers, followed by electrical products, plastics, cosmetics and automobiles. Each company exported an average of 2.3 product categories.
Average exports per company stood at $810,000, with 67 percent of firms exporting less than $100,000 — meaning small-scale exporters with strong growth potential make up the majority.
The surviving firms exported to 178 countries in total, with China, the United States, Japan, Vietnam and the EU as the top destinations. Each company exported to an average of 2.1 countries.
By region, the Greater Seoul area — Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province — led in the number of surviving firms, followed by the southeastern region (Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province), the Daegu-North Gyeongsang area, and the central region (Sejong, Daejeon, South Chungcheong and North Chungcheong provinces). Their combined export value of $10.1 billion, up 22.7 percent from a year earlier, accounted for 1.4 percent of all active companies' total exports of $707.4 billion.
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
