Korea’s exports continued to shrink from a year earlier last month on less working days, the government said Sunday.

Exports reached $41 billion in April, down 11.2 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The rate marks an acceleration from an 8.2 percent on-year cut in March. April also marks the 16th consecutive month of an on-year drop.

The decline was mostly attributed to a drop in the number of working days in April from a year earlier, combined with a cut in export prices triggered by low global oil prices.

By country, shipments to the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations rose 7.1 percent from a year earlier, while shipments to the United States slipped 6.6 percent on-year.

Exports to China, the world’s single largest importer of South Korean goods, plunged 18.4 percent. South Korean exports to China have dropped for 10 consecutive months since July 2015, according to the ministry.

(khnews@heraldcorp.c