Korea's Trade Balance Showed a Surplus of US$19.6 Billion in The First Half of This Year

It’s reported that Korea’s trade balance showed a surplus of US$19.6 billion in the first half of this year, posting a slight rise in exports in spite of weak external conditions, according to report released by the Export and Import Division of South Korea's Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MOTIE).

In the first half of this year, the country’s export values amounted to US$277 billion, up by 0.6% year on year. However, it import values dropped by 2.6% year on year to US$257 billion.

In the given period of time, the country’s export values of basic steel totaled US$16.4 billion, decreasing by 11.9%; those of ships were at US$19 billion, falling by 25.3% and those of automobile were at US$24.6 billion, down by 1.7% and those of machinery were at US$24 billion, decreasing by 1.7%, all compared to the figures in the same period of 2012.