S. Korea's drug exports top $10 billion for 1st time in 2025
Seoul, July 2
South Korea's exports of pharmaceuticals surpassed $10 billion for the first time last year, while production of such products also climbed to a new record high, government data showed on Thursday.
South Korean companies exported a total of $10.44 billion worth of pharmaceuticals in 2025, up 12.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, reports Yonhap news agency. Imports advanced 5.9 percent on-year to $8.93 billion.
Trade surplus from the product category rose 41.9 percent on-year to $1.56 billion, the highest on record, the data showed.
Biopharmaceuticals led exports, boosted by a growing market share of local biosimilar producers and improving competitiveness of their contract development and manufacturing capabilities, also known as CDMO.
South Korea produced a total of 33.8 trillion won worth of drugs last year, up 3 percent from a year earlier.
It marks the highest annual figure since the government started compiling such statistics in 1998, the ministry said.
Production growth grew the fastest in prescription-based medicine and finished drug products, advancing 5.3 percent and 3.7 percent on-year, respectively.
The annual average growth rate of drug production was 7.3 percent during the past five years, higher than the corresponding figure for South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP), which was 4.6 percent, the ministry explained.
There were four companies, including Celltrion Inc. and Hanmi Pharm Co., whose annual production surpassed 1 trillion won in 2025, according to the data.
In particular, Celltrion's drug production grew 27.6 percent on-year to top 3 trillion won (US$1.9 billion) in 2025, becoming the first local company to surpass the threshold.
Meanwhile, Seoul stocks opened sharply lower but pared earlier losses to trade nearly 3 percent lower on late Thursday morning, as an overnight selloff in U.S. semiconductor stocks pressured Korean chipmakers.
Due to the sharp drop, the bourse operator Korea Exchange (KRX) activated a sell-side sidecar for the KOSPI around 9:07 a.m., halting program trading for five minutes.
A sell-side sidecar is triggered when the KOSPI 200 Futures index decreases 5 percent or more for at least one minute.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I'm genuinely impressed by Celltrion crossing 3 trillion won in production. They've become a global leader in biosimilars. But what about India? Our biotech sector is growing, but we need more government support for R&D and manufacturing. The PLI schemes are a good start, but we need to compete at this level. For now, well done, South Korea! 👏
As someone working in pharma supply chain, this is no surprise. South Korea has been investing heavily in biosimilars for years, and it's paying off. The trade surplus of $1.56 billion is remarkable. India should focus on similar high-margin biotech products instead of just competing on price for generics. Time to move up the value chain.
It's wonderful to see Asian countries excelling in pharma innovation. But I must say, this also highlights how dependent we are on imports for certain advanced drugs. India needs to balance its generic exports with investments in biologics and biosimilars. Let's take inspiration from Korea's focus on quality and innovation. A great achievement for them! ✨
Excellent news for Korea! Their pharma output growing faster than GDP (7.3% vs 4.6%) shows strategic focus. But let's be honest—India's pharma sector also has strengths. We're the largest generic drug supplier globally. However, we need to address quality concerns and R&D gaps. Korea's success is a benchmark, not a threat. Healthy competition benefits everyone.
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