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Trade between Ireland and South Korea

In 2024, Ireland exported $1.5 billion to South Korea and imported $1.7 billion. Ireland ran a deficit of $262 million with South Korea, compared with a surplus of $187 million in 2019. South Korea was Ireland’s 17th largest trading partner (0.8% of its trade), and Ireland was South Korea’s 46th (0.2%).

Summary

Ireland → South Korea
$1.5billion
South Korea → Ireland
$1.7billion
Ireland’s balance
-$262million

Balance

Ireland’s trade balance with South Korea

Trade between Ireland and South Korea grew 5.9-fold since 1995

USD billions (current). Ireland’s exports and imports; bars: its balance (green surplus, red deficit).

  • Exports 1.5
  • Imports 1.7
  • Balance -0.3

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$251 million$285 million-$34 million
1996$441 million$413 million$28 million
1997$1 billion$552 million$483 million
1998$524 million$697 million-$173 million
1999$437 million$834 million-$396 million
2000$981 million$1.1 billion-$119 million
2001$828 million$721 million$107 million
2002$960 million$828 million$132 million
2003$746 million$945 million-$200 million
2004$915 million$1.3 billion-$362 million
2005$894 million$1.1 billion-$252 million
2006$874 million$1.1 billion-$205 million
2007$854 million$1.2 billion-$323 million
2008$949 million$809 million$139 million
2009$673 million$564 million$110 million
2010$590 million$521 million$69 million
2011$684 million$642 million$42 million
2012$777 million$587 million$190 million
2013$812 million$614 million$197 million
2014$936 million$728 million$209 million
2015$1 billion$638 million$369 million
2016$1.2 billion$926 million$266 million
2017$1.1 billion$1.1 billion$94 million
2018$1.2 billion$941 million$267 million
2019$1.2 billion$1 billion$187 million
2020$1.2 billion$1.4 billion-$203 million
2021$1.2 billion$1.6 billion-$473 million
2022$1.3 billion$1.7 billion-$395 million
2023$1.6 billion$1.4 billion$151 million
2024$1.5 billion$1.7 billion-$262 million

What they sell each other

What Ireland sells to South Korea

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Medicines in measured doses or retail packs$449 million · 30.8%
    7 thousand tonnes · Ireland’s destinations
  2. Vaccines, blood and antisera$370 million · 25.4%
    72 tonnes · Ireland’s destinations
  3. Orthopedic and hearing devices$129 million · 8.8%
    83 tonnes
  4. Medical and dental instruments$79 million · 5.4%
    317 tonnes · Ireland’s destinations
  5. Optical fibers and lenses$58 million · 4%
    592 tonnes
  6. Physical and chemical analysis instruments$28 million · 1.9%
    52 tonnes
  7. Computer and office machine parts$27 million · 1.9%
    52 tonnes
  8. Other plastic articles$26 million · 1.8%
    173 tonnes
  9. Other food preparations$20 million · 1.3%
    209 tonnes
  10. Computers$17 million · 1.2%
    8 tonnes · Ireland’s destinations

What South Korea sells to Ireland

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Cars$449 million · 26.1%
    19 thousand tonnes · South Korea’s destinations
  2. Computer and office machine parts$431 million · 25%
    106 tonnes
  3. Oxygen heterocyclic compounds$109 million · 6.4%
    64 tonnes
  4. Discs and storage media$101 million · 5.9%
    26 tonnes
  5. Other industrial machines$79 million · 4.6%
    150 tonnes
  6. Nucleic acids and other heterocycles$74 million · 4.3%
    52 tonnes
  7. Vaccines, blood and antisera$64 million · 3.7%
    17 tonnes · South Korea’s destinations
  8. Bulldozers and excavators$27 million · 1.6%
    5 thousand tonnes · South Korea’s destinations
  9. Turbojets and gas turbines$24 million · 1.4%
    8 tonnes · South Korea’s destinations
  10. Coated flat steel$23 million · 1.3%
    17 thousand tonnes

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Dublin to Busan.

The estimated sea route between Dublin and Busan is 14,323 nautical miles (26,525 km) long: ≈ 33–42.5 days at sea (at 18 and 14 knots).

Because of the 2024 disruptions, traffic is split: 85% via the Cape of Good Hope and the Strait of Malacca and Singapore (14,323 nautical miles); and 15% via the Strait of Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Malacca and Singapore (10,893 nautical miles).

Sailing estimate without port calls, waiting or transshipment; not a schedule. One main reference port per country: in large countries it does not represent all of its ports.

Split by transport mode

  1. Sea$757 million · 23.8%
  2. Air$2.4 billion · 76.2%

Mode estimated from value per kilo and geography; both directions together.

How much each matters to the other

South Korea was Ireland’s 17th largest trading partner (0.8% of its trade), and Ireland was South Korea’s 46th (0.2%).

South Korea in Ireland’s trade
0.8%
South Korea’s rank among Ireland’s partners
17th
Ireland in South Korea’s trade
0.2%
Ireland’s rank among South Korea’s partners
46th

Compare with

Other partners of Ireland

Other partners of South Korea

Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. The sea route comes from our own network derived from World Bank shipping density (not from nautical charts), between one main reference port per country (World Port Index); days are the distance at 14 and 18 knots, without port calls or waiting. Data up to 2024.