South Korea's exports went down 5.2 percent from a year earlier in the first 20 days of April due in part to sluggish shipments to the United States amid ongoing tariff measures, data showed Monday.
Outbound shipments reached US$33.87 billion in the April 1-20 period, compared with $35.75 billion tallied over the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.
Imports decreased 11.8 percent on-year to $34 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $1 billion.
By destination, exports to the US shrank 14.3 percent on-year to $6.18 billion, while shipments to China, the top trading partner of South Korea, climbed 7.6 percent to $7.64 billion.
"There is a tendency for exports to increase toward the end of the month, so it remains to be seen whether this downward trend will continue on a monthly basis," an agency official said on condition of anonymity.
By item, exports of semiconductors increased 10.7 percent from a year earlier to $6.47 billion. Chip sales accounted for 19.1 percent of the country's total exports over the cited period, up 2.8 percentage points from the same period last year.
In contrast, shipments of automobiles went down 6.5 percent on-year to $3.67 billion and those of petroleum products plummeted 22 percent to $2.2 billion.
In March, exports gained 3.1 percent from a year earlier to $58.3 billion, marking a second consecutive month of increase. (Yonhap)
