SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s exports in the first 20 days of December slid at 2.0% due to a slump in chip sales, customs data showed on Monday, but the decline was slower than a month earlier following improved demand from China.
Exports during the Dec. 1-20 period contracted less than the 9.8% drop during the Nov. 1-20 period, while imports fell 0.5%, the data showed. The country’s trade surplus shrank to $0.33 billion during the period from $0.55 billion in the same period a month earlier.
Average exports per working day during the Dec. 1-20 period slid 5.1%, better than a 9.6% fall in Nov. 1-20.
Overseas sales of semiconductors, the country’s major export, fell 16.7% in the Dec. 1-20 period versus a year ago, although shipments to China, South Korea’s biggest trading partner, rose 5.3%.
(Reporting by Joori Roh; editing by Richard Pullin)
