
FILE PHOTO: A truck drives between shipping containers at a container terminal at Incheon port in Incheon, South Korea, May 26, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
July 22, 2019
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s exports for the first 20 days of this month fell a sharp 13.6% from a year earlier, customs data showed on Monday, led by poor semiconductor shipments and underscoring continued weakness in global demand.
Semiconductor products, which make up for about one-fifth of the country’s total exports, suffered a 30.2% drop in overseas shipments, the Korea Customs Service data showed.
Imports during the 20-day period dropped 10.3% on year as purchases from Japan fell 14.5%, similar to a 13.9% loss for the June 1-20 period and showing little effect so far from Tokyo’s curbs on exports of key materials for chip and display production.
(Reporting by Choonsik Yoo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)