South Korea's exports rose 65 percent from a year earlier in the first 20 days of May, driven by a sharp increase in semiconductor shipments.
Data released Thursday by the Korea Customs Service showed outbound shipments reached $52.7 billion in the May 1-20 period. This compares with $31.9 billion in the same period last year and marks the highest figure ever recorded for the first 20 days of May.
Semiconductor exports surged 202 percent to $21.9 billion, accounting for 41.7 percent of total exports. Petroleum product shipments rose 46.3 percent while automobile exports fell 10.1 percent.
Exports to China climbed 96.5 percent, followed by the United States at 79.3 percent, Vietnam at 70.2 percent and the European Union at 21.7 percent. Cumulative exports through Wednesday totaled $359.1 billion, up 43.9 percent from a year earlier.
