Buying and selling are essential for any country to develop its economy and maintain good relations with other nations. The first table below shows top trading partners of South Korea in terms of export sales (selling), including China, United States, and Japan. The second lists top trade partners of South Korea regarding import total (buying). That is, most products are imported from these countries to South Korea.
South Korea Major Exports
Market Value: 383,590 (millions) – Last Updated: June, 2019
| Rank | Country (Exports To) | Trade Value (thousands) | Share (%) | Growth (% 5yr) |
| 1 | China | 90,958,552 | 23.71 | 82.80 |
| 2 | United States | 46,153,701 | 12.03 | 7.29 |
| 3 | Japan | 27,848,551 | 7.26 | 28.37 |
| 4 | Hong Kong | 19,484,613 | 5.08 | 7.49 |
| 5 | Singapore | 16,049,432 | 4.18 | 183.92 |
| 6 | Germany | 10,304,333 | 2.69 | 23.65 |
| 7 | Russia | 9,546,778 | 2.49 | 308.13 |
| 8 | Mexico | 8,922,934 | 2.33 | 198.05 |
| 9 | India | 8,735,394 | 2.28 | 140.54 |
| 10 | Indonesia | 7,641,103 | 1.99 | 107.80 |
| 11 | Vietnam | 7,488,080 | 1.95 | 130.04 |
| 12 | Netherlands | 6,241,368 | 1.63 | 107.56 |
| 13 | Brazil | 5,772,018 | 1.50 | 223.45 |
| 14 | United Kingdom | 5,746,615 | 1.50 | 4.19 |
| 15 | United Arab Emirates | 5,569,775 | 1.45 | 115.32 |
| 16 | Malaysia | 5,559,745 | 1.45 | 24.11 |
| 17 | Thailand | 5,493,625 | 1.43 | 69.11 |
| 18 | Saudi Arabia | 5,086,897 | 1.33 | 197.81 |
| 19 | Philippines | 4,772,351 | 1.24 | 41.30 |
| 20 | Marshall Islands | 4,757,166 | 1.24 | 683.71 |
| 21 | Iran | 4,172,970 | 1.09 | 95.52 |
| 22 | Poland | 4,022,443 | 1.05 | 398.35 |
| 23 | Canada | 3,877,558 | 1.01 | 14.72 |
| 24 | Turkey | 3,604,500 | 0.94 | 52.99 |
| 25 | France | 3,537,536 | 0.92 | 30.70 |
| 26 | Slovakia | 3,401,783 | 0.89 | 854.64 |
| 27 | Italy | 3,358,751 | 0.88 | (1.44) |
| 28 | Belgium | 3,118,761 | 0.81 | 117.17 |
| 29 | Spain | 3,031,660 | 0.79 | 7.94 |
| 30 | Chile | 2,927,581 | 0.76 | 313.40 |
| 31 | Liberia | 2,799,046 | 0.73 | 63.87 |
| 32 | Nigeria | 2,463,982 | 0.64 | 262.28 |
| 33 | Finland | 2,252,976 | 0.59 | 32.84 |
| 34 | Bahamas | 2,064,800 | 0.54 | 106.98 |
| 35 | Norway | 2,041,658 | 0.53 | 533.02 |
| 36 | Qatar | 1,830,128 | 0.48 | 710.10 |
South Korea Major Imports
Market Value: 395,376 (millions) – Last Updated: June, 2019
| Rank | Country (Imports From) | Trade Value (thousands) | Share (%) | Growth (% 5yr) |
| 1 | China | 76,425,813 | 19.33 | 158.33 |
| 2 | Japan | 60,514,007 | 15.31 | 31.14 |
| 3 | United States | 38,075,305 | 9.63 | 31.66 |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia | 33,772,794 | 8.54 | 186.22 |
| 5 | United Arab Emirates | 19,228,196 | 4.86 | 163.76 |
| 6 | Germany | 14,386,121 | 3.64 | 69.54 |
| 7 | Qatar | 14,371,226 | 3.63 | 293.77 |
| 8 | Kuwait | 12,127,306 | 3.07 | 216.48 |
| 9 | Indonesia | 11,157,331 | 2.82 | 75.21 |
| 10 | Malaysia | 9,782,120 | 2.47 | 72.26 |
| 11 | Russia | 8,275,145 | 2.09 | 125.39 |
| 12 | Iran | 8,213,088 | 2.08 | 237.25 |
| 13 | Singapore | 8,212,100 | 2.08 | 84.11 |
| 14 | India | 6,405,207 | 1.62 | 246.24 |
| 15 | Oman | 5,688,142 | 1.44 | 129.83 |
| 16 | France | 4,562,180 | 1.15 | 83.06 |
| 17 | Brazil | 4,321,404 | 1.09 | 96.84 |
| 18 | Canada | 4,249,030 | 1.07 | 94.13 |
| 19 | Iraq | 4,227,538 | 1.07 | 936.97 |
| 20 | Chile | 4,111,731 | 1.04 | 112.65 |
| 21 | Thailand | 4,084,617 | 1.03 | 73.76 |
| 22 | Italy | 3,806,482 | 0.96 | 52.24 |
| 23 | United Kingdom | 3,370,892 | 0.85 | (11.14) |
| 24 | Netherlands | 3,051,581 | 0.77 | 76.51 |
| 25 | Philippines | 3,016,061 | 0.76 | 42.27 |
| 26 | Norway | 2,130,096 | 0.54 | 280.18 |
| 27 | South Africa | 2,120,066 | 0.54 | 112.24 |
| 28 | Hong Kong | 2,080,127 | 0.53 | (36.35) |
| 29 | Vietnam | 1,886,765 | 0.48 | 180.24 |
| 30 | Switzerland | 1,728,836 | 0.44 | 42.36 |
| 31 | Egypt | 1,319,043 | 0.33 | 291.62 |
| 32 | Belgium | 1,188,379 | 0.30 | 30.56 |
| 33 | Sweden | 1,174,957 | 0.30 | 54.15 |
| 34 | New Zealand | 1,078,502 | 0.27 | 22.66 |
| 35 | Mexico | 976,680 | 0.25 | 137.48 |
| 36 | Spain | 969,916 | 0.25 | 72.61 |