Cargo processed at South Korean seaports fell 1.6 percent on-year in the second quarter on sagging global trade amid an economic slowdown, the oceans ministry said Thursday.

Cargo handled at the country's ports nationwide came to 373.16 million tons during the April-June period, compared with 379.33 billion tons a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Of them, export-import cargo came to 316.95 billion tons, down 0.5 percent on-year, it added.

Container cargo processed at the seaports, however, rose 2.8 percent on-year to come to 7.56 million twenty-foot equivalent units in the second quarter. Of them, processed export-import container cargo grew 4.2 percent on-year to 4.34 million TEUs.

By nation, trade volume with the United States and Japan fell 4.8 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively, in the second quarter, while that with China logged a 5 percent rise, the data showed.

South Korea's handling of transshipment cargo, or cargo processed here en route to final destinations, added 1.1 percent on-year to 3.18 million TEUs.

Non-container cargo handled at the ports fell 2.4 percent on-year to 243.96 million tons in the second quarter, the ministry said. (Yonhap)