# Republic of Korea Import Data | Yugalinks

> Published by **Yugalinks**, global trade intelligence for growing businesses.

Explore import demand for Republic of Korea with OECD trade data: sectors, suppliers, economy context, and trade history.

Canonical: https://www.yugalinks.com/trade/country-import/KOR

## Republic of Korea import demand overview

In 2024, Republic of Korea recorded $602.8B in reported imports. Electrical machinery was the largest displayed import sector by value.

## Country snapshot

| Measure | Value |
| --- | ---: |
| Latest imports | $602.8B |
| Import growth | -2% |
| Population | 51.8M |
| GDP per capita | $36.2K |
| Trade openness | 81.8% |

## Import sectors

| Rank | HS2 | Sector | Imports | Share | Import partners | Active HS6 |
| ---: | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1 | 85 | Electrical machinery | $118.3B | 19.6% | 181 | 262 |
| 2 | 87 | Vehicles | $19.7B | 3.3% | 145 | 87 |
| 3 | 84 | Machinery | $64.1B | 10.6% | 166 | 515 |
| 4 | 27 | Mineral fuels | $148.4B | 24.6% | 114 | 43 |
| 5 | 39 | Plastics | $12.5B | 2.1% | 144 | 129 |
| 6 | 89 | Ships and boats | $2.9B | 0.5% | 74 | 18 |
| 7 | 72 | Iron and steel | $13.8B | 2.3% | 105 | 167 |
| 8 | 29 | Organic chemicals | $13.5B | 2.2% | 124 | 369 |
| 9 | 90 | Optical and medical instruments | $21.4B | 3.5% | 156 | 142 |
| 10 | 30 | Pharmaceutical products | $8.8B | 1.5% | 127 | 43 |

## Import history

| Year | Imports | Exports | Balance |
| ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1995 | $124.2B | $123.6B | -$632.3M |
| 1996 | $136.3B | $129.5B | -$6.8B |
| 1997 | $130.5B | $134.4B | $3.9B |
| 1998 | $82.8B | $131.2B | $48.3B |
| 1999 | $112.4B | $144.5B | $32.1B |
| 2000 | $154.0B | $175.6B | $21.6B |
| 2001 | $135.3B | $156.0B | $20.6B |
| 2002 | $150.2B | $167.5B | $17.2B |
| 2003 | $178.2B | $201.8B | $23.7B |
| 2004 | $221.3B | $262.5B | $41.2B |
| 2005 | $254.9B | $292.3B | $37.4B |
| 2006 | $298.7B | $338.9B | $40.1B |
| 2007 | $339.3B | $383.2B | $43.9B |
| 2008 | $420.9B | $430.4B | $9.5B |
| 2009 | $316.3B | $370.6B | $54.4B |
| 2010 | $411.7B | $472.5B | $60.9B |
| 2011 | $509.0B | $555.2B | $46.2B |
| 2012 | $512.9B | $556.5B | $43.6B |
| 2013 | $516.2B | $568.3B | $52.1B |
| 2014 | $520.7B | $585.7B | $65.0B |
| 2015 | $437.3B | $533.8B | $96.5B |
| 2016 | $409.5B | $508.0B | $98.6B |
| 2017 | $474.4B | $584.6B | $110.2B |
| 2018 | $521.5B | $611.0B | $89.5B |
| 2019 | $493.9B | $559.4B | $65.6B |
| 2020 | $454.8B | $538.0B | $83.2B |
| 2021 | $592.8B | $670.2B | $77.5B |
| 2022 | $692.4B | $724.0B | $31.6B |
| 2023 | $615.4B | $659.8B | $44.4B |
| 2024 | $602.8B | $719.1B | $116.4B |

## Data coverage

- Country: **Republic of Korea (KOR)**
- Coverage: **1995-2024**
- Publisher: [Yugalinks](https://www.yugalinks.com/)

## Data sources

- Primary trade series: OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). [OECD Data Explorer](https://data-explorer.oecd.org/) - [OECD Terms & Conditions](https://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions/)
- CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601): [dataset page](https://www.cepii.fr/CEPII/en/bdd_modele/bdd_modele_item.asp?id=37) - [BACI documentation](https://www.cepii.fr/DATA_DOWNLOAD/baci/doc/baci_webpage.html) - [Etalab 2.0 Open Licence](https://www.etalab.gouv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/open-licence.pdf)

This page presents derived Yugalinks views of reported observations and calculated indicators.

## Data sources

- Primary trade series: OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). [OECD Data Explorer](https://data-explorer.oecd.org/) - [OECD Terms & Conditions](https://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions/)
- CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601): [dataset page](https://www.cepii.fr/CEPII/en/bdd_modele/bdd_modele_item.asp?id=37) - [BACI documentation](https://www.cepii.fr/DATA_DOWNLOAD/baci/doc/baci_webpage.html) - [Etalab 2.0 Open Licence](https://www.etalab.gouv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/open-licence.pdf)

This page presents derived Yugalinks views of reported observations and calculated indicators.