Korea's gross national income (GNI) per capita is likely to surpass $40,000 this year for the first time, helped by a sharp increase in national income driven largely by the semiconductor boom and a stronger won, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Monday. The new prediction comes as the country's national income has posted strong growth in the second quarter. Nominal GNI rose 8.8 percent in the second quarter from the previous quarter and 26.4 percent from a year earlier. Real GNI, which strips out the effects of inflation, increased 3.1 percent on-quarter and 15.6 percent on-year, marking its fastest annual growth since the fourth quarter of 1988. Kim Hwa-yong, director of the BOK's production, expenditure and income division, said per capita GNI is on track to surpass $40,000 this year. "If there are no unexpected shocks in the remainder of the year and nominal GNI growth remains at its current pace while the exchange rate remains stable, per capita GNI in U.S. dollar terms is highly likely to exceed $40,000," Kim said during a briefing. Per capita GNI is calculated by dividing the total inco