S. Korea's export falls 1 pct in 20 days of January

Seoul [South Korea], January 22: South Korea's export slightly fell in the first 20 days of January due to lower business days, customs office data showed Monday.
Outbound shipment shrank 1.0 percent from a year earlier to 33.33 billion U.S. dollars in the Jan. 1-Jan. 20 period, according to the Korea Customs Service.
Considering the number of working days, the daily average export increased 2.2 percent in the reporting period. The monthly export kept an upward trend for the third consecutive month through December.
Import tumbled 18.2 percent to 35.94 billion dollars in the period, sending the trade deficit to 2.61 billion dollars.
Semiconductor export soared 19.7 percent to 5.3 billion dollars in the cited period.
Automotive export gained 2.6 percent to 3.48 billion dollars, but those for oil and steel products retreated in single digits to 2.86 billion dollars and 2.47 billion dollars each.
Shipment for auto parts, mobile devices and precision machinery all declined in double figures.
Import for coal, natural gas, machinery, semiconductor equipment, mobile devices and cars recorded a double-digit reduction in the 20-day period, but crude oil import added 0.7 percent to 5.45 billion dollars.
Source: Xinhua