SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean exports rose 10.0% in the first 20 days of March from a year earlier, customs data showed on Monday, though a deepening slump in overseas demand triggered by the coronavirus pandemic is expected to weigh on the full month data.
Average exports per working day slid 0.4% during the period when eliminating the calendar effect. There were 1.5 more working days compared with the same period last year.
Exports to China, where the virus originated, rose 4.9% on-year in the 20-day period, the Korea Customs Service data showed. China is South Korea’s largest trading partner which takes in a quarter of total overseas sales.
Outbound shipments of semiconductors, the nation’s major export, jumped 20.3%.
(Reporting by Joori Roh; Editing by Kim Coghill)
