The number of first-time exporters with no export record in the previous three years rose 3.7 percent from a year earlier to 19,746 in 2025, while their combined exports increased 13.2 percent to US$6.9 billion, the highest level since 2019.
By product, machinery and computers accounted for the largest share of first-time exporters at 10.9 percent, followed by electrical products at 8.5 percent, cosmetics at 7 percent, plastics at 6.7 percent and automobiles at 5.6 percent. They shipped an average of 1.4 products each. Of them, 72.2 percent exported only one product, while 98.4 percent exported fewer than 10 products.
In terms of export value, 15,885 companies or 80 percent of first-time exporters shipped less than US$100,000 worth of goods.
Smaller exporters mainly shipped machinery and computers, electrical products and cosmetics, while automobiles accounted for the largest portion among companies exporting between $100,000 and less than $10 million. Exporters with shipments of $10 million or more mainly exported precious metals.
First-time exporters shipped goods to 173 countries, with China being the top destination at 14 percent, followed by the United States at 10.9 percent, Japan at 7.5 percent, Vietnam at 6.4 percent and the European Union at 5.3 percent.
Each company exported to an average of 1.6 countries, while 15,929 companies, or 80.7 percent, shipped goods to only one country.
They were mostly concentrated in Seoul and the metropolitan areas including Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, which accounted for 70.4 percent of the total.
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