South Korea's exports jumped 60.4 percent in the first 20 days of June from a year earlier. Robust semiconductor shipments drove the figure to a record high.
According to Korea Customs Service data, outbound shipments reached $62 billion in the June 1-20 period, up from $38.6 billion a year earlier. This surpassed the previous record of $54.3 billion set in March.
Chip exports nearly tripled to $25.5 billion and accounted for 41.2 percent of total exports. Automobile exports rose 2.3 percent to $3.73 billion while petroleum products climbed 39 percent to $3.67 billion.
Imports increased 23.2 percent to $44.5 billion, producing a trade surplus of $17 billion. Exports to China surged 86.9 percent to $13 billion and those to the United States rose 53.9 percent to $11.4 billion.
