The IT sector posted a trade surplus of over US$7 billion for the second month in a row in August on the back of record-high exports of semiconductor chips.

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Tuesday that IT exports surged 26.5 percent on-year to $13.4 billion in August, and imports 16.5 percent to $6.38 billion. The trade surplus stood at $7.02 billion, down from $7.23 billion in July.

Exports of memory chips reached an all-time high of $4.74 billion, up 64.9 percent on-year, and those of display panels increased 25.4 percent to $3.2 billion, continuing an upward trend for a 15th straight month.

Outbound shipments of mobile phones dropped for an eighth consecutive month to $1.86 billion, but smartphones skyrocketed 326 percent on-year to $560 million.

China was the leading export destination, accounting for 33.9 percent of total shipments, followed by the EU (30.5 percent), the U.S. (13 percent) and Japan (12.8 percent).

Significant gains were seen in emerging markets, with exports to Eastern Europe surging 51.6 percent, the Middle East 21.1 percent, ASEAN 17.6 percent, and Latin America 5 percent.

IT imports jumped 16.5 percent from a year earlier to $6.38 billion. Due to increasing demand for netbooks and smartphones, imports of computers and peripherals rose 36.3 percent and mobile devices 19.4 percent.

"IT exports are likely to continue growing due to seasonal factors as festive holidays are coming up around the world, including National Day in China and Thanksgiving in North America," a ministry official said. "Exports of mobile phones have been lackluster recently, but they will gradually turn around from the fourth quarter when production of smartphones begins in full swing."