seoul: South Korea's exports of information and communication technology (ICT) products rose for the 12th consecutive month in October, driven by strong global demand for semiconductors, data showed Thursday. Outbound shipments of ICT products came to $20.8 billion last month, up 22% from $17.05 billion a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Science and ICT. According to Qatar News Agency, it marks the third straight month the country's ICT exports surpassed the $20 billion mark. Imports of ICT products increased 5.7% on-year to $13.3 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $7.47 billion in the sector. By item, chip exports jumped 39.9% on-year to $12.6 billion in October, posting a double-digit increase for the 12th straight month, amid robust demand for high-value products, like high-bandwidth memory chips, sparked by the global artificial intelligence boom. In particular, outbound shipments of memory chips shot up 63.9% to $7.4 billion. Overseas sales of mobile phones climbed 21.2 % to $1.82 billion, and exports of computers and peripherals soared 48.4% to $1.12 billion on high demand for auxiliary storage devices. However, exports of displays and communications equipment dropped 21.5% and 8.4 percent to $1.8 billion and $180 million, respectively.