Korea’s semiconductor boom is producing extraordinary headline growth, but its benefits are not being felt evenly across the economy. While strong chip exports have pushed nominal gross domestic product (GDP) sharply higher, the share of “zombie” companies has climbed to a record, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Tuesday. The country’s nominal GDP has accelerated since the second half of 2025, fueled by higher semiconductor prices and strong exports. In the second quarter of this year, it surged 26.4 percent from a year earlier, the fastest increase in 47 years. Away from the export sector, however, the picture is considerably weaker. As of last December, 19.1 percent of nonfinancial companies were classified as zombie firms, up from 17.1 percent a year earlier and the highest level since the BOK began compiling the data in 2010. Of the 29,468 companies, 5,632 fell into the category. The term refers to those that have been unable to cover even their interest expenses with operating profits for three consecutive years. Their share increased among both large and small and midsize ente