SEOUL, June 15 (Xinhua) -- South Korea posted a trade surplus at 5.7 billion U.S. dollars in May thanks to exports growth, customs data showed Thursday.
Revised figure for trade surplus was 5.7 billion dollars as exports, which account for about half of the economy, logged a double-digit growth for five straight months, according to Korea Customs Service.
Exports increased 13.3 percent from a year earlier to 45 billion dollars in May, while imports gained 19.1 percent to 39.3 billion dollars.
Semiconductor exports surged 56.2 percent, leading the exports recovery for the first five months of this year.
Auto exports added 4.2 percent, with oil product shipments jumping 30.2 percent on the back of higher oil prices.
Shipments of auto parts and telecommunication devices, including smartphones, logged a double-digit decline.
Exports to China, the European Union, Vietnam and Japan grew last month, but those to the United States and the Middle East countries declined 1.8 percent and 2.9 percent respectively.
A single purchase
