Seoul: South Korea's exports decreased by 15.2 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of October, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached US$13 billion during this period, compared with $15.3 billion recorded a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.
According to Yonhap News Agency, imports also saw a decline of 22.8 percent on-year, amounting to $13.5 billion during the same period. This led to a trade deficit of $500 million for the early part of October.
In contrast, September witnessed a 12.7 percent increase in exports from the previous year, totaling $65.95 billion. This surge was attributed to strong demand for semiconductors, marking an all-time high in exports for the first time in three and a half years.