Tech Outflow
This year, the global ICT market is expected to record negative growth. Last month, total exports from Korea decreased by 1.8 percent. Nevertheless, mobile phone exports from the country continued to record a double-digit growth both in May and June this year. The Galaxy S6 and the G4, the flagship smartphones of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, led the growth.
According to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, smartphone exports from Korea added up to US$960 million last month, showing a 31.9 percent increase compared to a year ago. Mobile phone exports increased by 19.4 percent year-on-year to US$22.5 billion as well, while overall ICT sector exports edged down by 0.2 percent to US$83.59 billion between the first half of 2014 and the first half of 2015. “The mobile phone exports for the first quarter of this year were less than expected, but, fortunately, the release of the flagship models, including the Galaxy S6 and the G4 led to a turnaround in the following quarter,” the ministry explained.
In the meantime, total ICT sector exports from Korea edged up by just 0.2 percent year-on-year in June to reach US$13.95 billion.