Anchor: The latest industry figures show exports of semiconductors have taken up more than 16 percent of the nation’s total so far this year. This is an all-time high and is buoyed by brisk exports by the country’s leading chipmakers.
Our Park Jong-hong has this report.
 
Report: Semiconductors are on track to post a record high in terms of export share this year, eclipsing all other items.
 
Industry data reveals that South Korea’s outbound shipment of chips amounted to 70-point-four billion dollars up until September this year, an increase of 56-point-five percent from the same period last year.
 
This accounts for 16-point-four percent of the country’s total exports during the nine- month period.
 
And with ongoing brisk exports by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, semiconductors, for the whole year, are likely to renew a record high in the ratio of overall exports, or the biggest share for a single item. The previous high was 15-point-one percent in 2000. 
 
Semiconductors have reigned as the number one export item since 1990.
 
Industry watchers are largely optimistic citing the rosy outlook for dynamic random-access memory(DRAM) and NAND flash products in the fourth quarter.
 
But other experts caution that the rising presence of semiconductors is not all positive.
 
They note that the global chip industry is vulnerable to sudden fluctuations and so the country should reduce its reliance and diversify its export portfolio.
Park Jong-hong, KBS World Radio News.