Korea's exports show signs of recovery in first 20 days of December

Shipping containers are stacked at a port in Busan. [NEWS1]

Korea's exports climbed 13 percent on-year in the first 20 days of this month thanks to growing demand for semiconductors and vehicles, data showed Thursday.

Outbound shipments reached $37.82 billion during the period, compared with a $33.53 billion tally a year earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service.

Per-day exports also rose 13 percent on-year to $2.44 billion during the cited period, it added.

Imports fell 9.2 percent on-year to $36.26 billion during the first 20 days of December, resulting in a trade surplus of $1.6 billion.

The growth in exports was led by rising chip and auto sales.

Exports of semiconductors, a key export item, advanced 19.2 percent to $6.66 billion during the first period.

Chip exports accounted for 17.6 percent of the country's total exports, up 0.9 percentage points on-year.

Auto exports surged 27.7 percent on-year to $3.75 billion.

Sales of petroleum products rose 10.4 percent to $3.15 billion, and ship exports spiked 150.8 percent to $2.47 billion.

But steel exports lost 2.3 percent on-year to $2.51 billion, and auto parts saw sales drop 5.5 percent to $1.14 billion.

By destination, exports to the United States jumped 30.2 percent on-year to $7.62 billion during the cited period.

Exports to China inched down 0.4 percent to $7.18 billion, and shipments to the European Union sank 16.8 percent to $3.37 billion.

Exports to Vietnam rose 13.8 percent to $3.31 billion, and those to Japan increased 15.8 percent to $1.86 billion.

In November, exports advanced 7.8 percent on-year to $55.8 billion, the second monthly gain after a yearlong downturn.

The government has expected exports, the country's key economic growth engine, to bottom out and gradually recover.

BY PARK EUN-JEE, YONHAP [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]