Some welcome news on the trade front for South Korea.
The nation's exports in August jumped 8-point-7 percent on-year, thanks to strong sales of semiconductors and petrochemical products.
Kim Mok-yeon reports.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy says South Korea's outbound shipments reached 51-point-two billion U.S. dollars last month, marking an all-time high for the month of August.
Exports in the January-to-August period surged nearly seven percent on-year, another record high.
The ministry attributed the rising trend to the global economic recovery and robust prices of major export items, including memory chips and petrochemical goods.
By sector, shipments of petroleum products saw the biggest increase in August, jumping 46 percent on-year, followed by semiconductors and steel products.
By country, exports to China posted the largest jump last month, climbing more than 20 percent on-year.
Shipments to Vietnam and Japan saw the next biggest increases respectively.
Imports jumped nine-point-two percent on-year to 44-point-three billion dollars in August for a trade surplus of almost seven billion dollars.
It marks the 79th month in a row that South Korea has posted a trade surplus.
Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.