According to Yonhap News,

(SEJONG = Yonhap News) South Korea's global market share for semiconductors grew to be the world's second largest last year, surpassing that of Japan for the first time in history, the government said Monday.

In 2013, South Korea sold about US$51.51 billion worth of semiconductors, supplying 16.2 percent of global consumption, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The country's global market share gained 1.5 percentage points from 14.7 percent in the previous year. As a global leader, the U.S. also continued to expand its market share from 50.7 percent in 2012 to 52.4 percent.

The market share of Japan, on the other hand, plunged from 17.5 percent to 13.7 percent over the cited period, the ministry said, citing related data from international market research group IHS Technology.

South Korea continued to be the world's largest supplier of memory chips, producing 52.4 percent of all memory chips sold in 2013, up from 52.1 percent in 2012.

Its output of system-on-chips edged down from some $11.89 billion in 2012 to $11.38 billion, accounting for 5.8 percent of total global supplies last year, according to the ministry.