[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s semiconductor exports are expected to exceed US$90 billion this year due to increased overseas chip demand and higher prices, an international traders organization said on Sept. 13.

In the January-August period, outbound shipments of computer chips surged 52 percent on-year to US$59.5 billion, the Korea International Trade Association said in a statement.

“If the country reports an average of US$8 billion a month in semiconductor exports for the rest of the year, the overall value (of semiconductor exports) is poised to exceed US$90 billion in 2017,” the latest report showed.

In 2016, semiconductor exports reached US$62.2 billion, down 1.1 percent from US$62.9 billion a year earlier, it said.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)