SOUTH Korea’s exports surged in double digits in the first 20 days of July due to soaring demand for locally-made semiconductors, customs office data showed Tuesday.
The outbound shipment jumped 52.3 per cent from a year earlier to US$54.93 billion in the 1-20 July period, according to the Korea Customs Service.
The daily average export spiked 62.9 per cent to $3.79 billion in the 20- day period.
Semiconductor exports skyrocketed 180.6 per cent to $22.11 billion, but automotive shipments sank 10.6 per cent to $3.24 billion.
Exports of oil products mounted 33.4 per cent on expensive crude oil, caused by the renewed Middle East tensions.
Computer shipments shot up 231.9 per cent to $2.04 billion thanks to solid demand for solid-state drives, driven by expanded demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Those for steel products, ships and mobile devices posted a double-digit expansion. — Xinhua