Korea's exports went down 2.3 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of January despite strong outbound shipments of semiconductors, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $15.55 billion in the Jan. 1 to 10 period, compared with $15.92 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. In contrast, average daily exports climbed 4.7 percent on year to $2.22 billion, according to the customs office. The number of working days during the period came to 7 days, compared with 7.5 days a year earlier. Imports decreased 4.5 percent on year to $18.21 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $2.7 billion, the data showed. Strong demand for semiconductors amid an industry upcycle was offset by weaker exports of automobiles, vessels and steel products. Chip shipments spiked 45.6 percent from a year earlier to $4.64 billion. The amount accounts for 29.9 percent of the country's total exports during the 10-day period, up 9.8 percentage points from a year earlier. Automobile exports tumbled 24.7 percent on year to $1.01 billion, while shipments of vessels shed 12.7 percent to $923 million. Exports of steel products also plunged 18.7 percent on year to $976 million. By destination, exports to China, Korea's top trading partner, increased 15.4 percent to $3.87 billion, but exports to the United States decreased 14.7 percent on year to $2.27 billion. Shipments to Taiwan spiked 55.4 percent to $852 million, while those to the European Union tumbled 31.7 percent to $1.1 billion. In December, exports expanded 13.4 percent from a year earlier to $69.6 billion on strong demand for semiconductors, marking the 11th consecutive month of an on-year increase. For 2025, outbound shipments reached an all-time high of $709.7 billion, surpassing the $700 billion mark for the first time. (ICE SEOUL)

Fonte notizia: Korea Joong Daily