[South Korea's steel exports rebound on AI data center demand]

Published: Jul 14, 2026 16:49

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South Korea's steel exports showed signs of recovery amid strong global demand for AI data center construction. According to South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, steel exports reached 2.14 billion USD in June, up 9.6% year-on-year, marking the first export growth in 14 months. The US market was the main driver, with steel export volume to the US rising 58.3% in the first half to 2.2 million tonnes from 1.39 million tonnes. Notably, exports of reinforcing bars used in data center framework construction surged to about 483,500 tonnes from 14,560 tonnes a year earlier.

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