Dem. People's Rep. of Korea

📊 Overview

Dem. People's Rep. of Korea stands as the world's #172 largest exporter and #162 largest importer, demonstrating emerging market dynamics.

The trade profile reveals a deficit of 1.68 billion, reflecting import dependencies for growth.

The country maintains active trading relationships with 20 major partners, creating a highly diversified trade network.

Monthly trade flows average $205.52M, generating continuous economic activity across logistics, finance, and trade services.

🚢 Export Markets

Export concentration shows China as the dominant market at 74.2%. The top three markets control 79.4% of exports.

Regional patterns reveal globally balanced access. Secondary markets (Luxembourg, South Africa, Liberia) provide $29.60M in additional trade.

📦 Import Sources

Dem. People's Rep. of Korea relies heavily on China for imports (96.6%),creating supply chain concentration risk.

Manufacturing inputs come primarily from China, Indonesia, reflecting deep integration into Asian production networks. China's dominant position at 2.00 billion encompasses electronics components, textiles, machinery parts, and consumer goods, creating both efficiency benefits and concentration risks.

The USA provides 182.69 thousand (0.0%) in imports, concentrated in agricultural products, aircraft, pharmaceuticals, and advanced technology.The top 10 import sources account for 99.9% of total imports, with the remaining 0% distributed among 10 other suppliers.

Regional sourcing patterns reveal diversified global sourcing. European suppliers including Netherlands (743,420) focus on luxury goods, machinery, and specialized chemicals.

Supply chain resilience strategies increasingly emphasize "China Plus One" approaches, with Indiaemerging as alternative manufacturing bases. The geographic proximity of major suppliers balances efficiency with risk diversification.

📦 Product Composition

🚀 Export Products

Dem. People's Rep. of Korea's export economy centers on diversified industrial production, with the leading export being of human hairat $162.76 million, accounting for 41.4% of total exports.

Vehicle-related products including passenger cars, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and automotive parts total approximately 11.01 million or 2.8% of exports, encompassing 2 distinct product categories. Electronics, semiconductors, and machinery contribute 16.07 million or 4.1% of exports.

The automotive sector's dominance is evident in the export portfolio, with with only spark-ignition internal combustion recip... (7.39M), for transport of persons (other than those of head... (3.61M). This automotive specialization reflects decades of manufacturing excellence, continuous innovation in fuel efficiency and hybrid technology, and established global brand recognition.

The transition to electric and hybrid vehicles is captured in export data, with 5 categories specifically related to alternative propulsion systems, totaling $38.71M.

Beyond automotive, Dem. People's Rep. of Korea maintains strong positions in specialized equipment, electronic components (16.07M), and Wigs, false beards, eyebrows and eyelashes, switches and the like and other articles n.e.c., Ferro-alloys, Tungsten ores and concentrates.

The top 20 export products collectively account for 80.7% of total exports, revealing moderate concentration with room for further diversification.

🛒 Import Products

Import requirements center on wool or other animal hair or other textile materials, prepared for use in making wigs or the like at 160.03 million (7.7%), indicating industrial input needs.

Beyond energy, critical imports include wool or other animal hair or other texti... (160.03M, 7.7%), rice, semi-milled or wholly milled, whet... (76.81M, 3.7%), sucrose, chemically pure, in solid form,... (69.33M, 3.3%), soya-bean oil and its fractions, other t... (66.72M, 3.2%), smoking, other than water pipe tobacco, ... (51.50M, 2.5%).Pharmaceutical products represent 31.36 million (1.5%), reflecting healthcare sector demands.

The import product mix reveals structural characteristics of Dem. People's Rep. of Korea's economy: food security dependencies, and industrial input requirements.

The ratio of raw materials to finished goods in imports (15 : 5among top 20 products) indicates significant value-addition activities domestically. Import substitution potential exists in manufacturing and agriculture sectors through targeted industrial policies and investment.

Product diversification metrics reveal focused product specializationwith implications for economic resilience and growth potential. The technology ladder progression from 7 primary products to 7 high-tech goods indicates the economy's structural transformation and industrial upgrading trajectory.

Value addition opportunities exist in transitioning from raw material exports to processed goods, from components to finished products, and from standard to customized offerings. The product space connectivity, measuring relatedness between current exports and potential new products, suggests strong potential for diversification into adjacent sophisticated products.

⚖️ Trade Balance Dynamics

Export-to-import ratio of 0.190 means exports cover 19.0% of import costs.

🔗 Key Relationships

The Dem. People's Rep. of Korea-China relationship leads at 2.29 billion in bilateral trade.View detailed analysis →

Additional major partnerships include Gabon (18.99M total trade), Peru (18.55M total trade), Poland (10.71M total trade). Regional integration through global networks facilitates technology transfer, market access, and production efficiency. The diversity of trading relationships—2.42B across top 10 partners—provides resilience against bilateral tensions and regional disruptions.

🏆 Competitive Position

Global rankings position Dem. People's Rep. of Korea as the #172 exporter worldwide,in the developing trader category. The country's share of global exports at approximately 0.004%offers opportunities for market share expansion.

Export sophistication, measured by the dominance of manufactured goods, indicates potential for value chain upgrading. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index shows strongest competitiveness in sectors where Dem. People's Rep. of Korea's global market share exceeds its overall trade share by factors of 2 or more.

Competitive advantages emerge in sectors where export concentration exceeds import share, particularly inof human hair, ferro-silicon, containing, Tungsten ores and concent. The revealed comparative advantage is strongest in product categories representing56.0% of exports. Market positioning against regional competitors shows niche specialization opportunities.

Trade complementarity with major partners suggests deep integration into global supply chains. The export quality ladder, comparing unit values to world averages, indicates competitive pricing strategies.

Competitive dynamics are shaped by factor endowments including cost advantages and resource availability, infrastructure quality, and business environment. The export survival rate, measuring the persistence of export relationships over time, suggests need for relationship strengthening.

Innovation capacity, reflected in the technology content of exports and R&D intensity, determines long-term competitiveness trajectories. The competitive threat from emerging exporters in similar product categories requires continuous upgrading and differentiation strategies to maintain market position. Regional integration through trade agreements provides preferential access to0 markets, creating competitive advantages over non-member competitors.

🎯 Strategic Outlook

The trade profile presents both opportunities and challenges for economic development strategy. Key strengths include strong import capacity enabling technology transfer and consumption growth,diversified market access reducing concentration risk, and competitive positions in essential commodities.

Vulnerabilities include excessive reliance on single export markets. The intersection of these factors creates a complex strategic landscape requiring careful navigation to maximize opportunities while mitigating risks.

Strategic priorities should focus on export promotion and import substitution to enhance trade competitiveness. Opportunities exist in expanding trade with Fiji, Spain, Mozambique, developing new product capabilities in higher technology sectors, and strengthening regional integration through new partnership frameworks.

The digital transformation of trade, including e-commerce, digital services, and blockchain-based trade finance, offers new avenues for market access and efficiency gains. Green trade opportunities in renewable energy, sustainable products, and carbon markets represent growing segments aligned with global sustainability goals.

The evolving global trade environment, characterized by technological disruption, geopolitical realignment, and sustainability imperatives, will fundamentally reshape Dem. People's Rep. of Korea's trade prospects. Success requires balanced policies addressing both improving export capacity while ensuring sustainable import financing.

Investment in infrastructure, education, and innovation ecosystems will determine the ability to climb value chains and capture larger shares of global value addition. The resilience agenda, emphasizing supply chain robustness, strategic autonomy in critical sectors, and economic security considerations, must be balanced with efficiency and openness principles.

As global trade patterns continue evolving, Dem. People's Rep. of Korea's position as the world's #172 exporter provides a platform for continued growth, requiring adaptive strategies, institutional strengthening, and sustained commitment to competitiveness enhancement in an increasingly complex and interconnected global economy.