South Korea’s exports increased from a year earlier in September, with imports growing at a slightly faster pace, the government said Wednesday.

The country’s outbound shipments came to $47.69 billion last month, up 6.8 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Imports rose 8 percent on-year to $44.33 billion.

The country posted a trade surplus of $3.36 billion. September marked the 32nd straight month the country has posted a trade surplus.

The rise in exports marked a turnaround from a 0.1 percent on-year drop posted in the previous month. The increase was partly attributed to growing demands in the United States and China.

In September, the country’s shipments to the United States spiked 19.9 percent on-year with exports to China, the world’s largest importer of South Korean products, also rising 6.5 percent, a turnaround from a 3.8 percent on-year drop in August, the ministry said in a press release. (Yonhap)