Seoul
South Korea posted trade surplus for five straight months to September thanks to faster growth in export than import, customs office data showed on Thursday. Revised figure for trade surplus amounted to 8.7 billion U.S. dollars in September, staying in the black since May, according to Korea Customs Service.
Export, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, grew 7.6 percent over the year to 48.0 billion U.S. dollars last month, while import added 1.6 percent to 39.3 billion U.S. dollars. Shipment for semiconductors, cars and auto parts advanced in double figures in September from a year earlier, but oil product export tumbled in double digits amid cheaper crude oil.— Xinhua