Seoul: South Korea's exports increased by 1% last month from the previous year, rebounding from a decline in January, driven by higher overseas sales of computers and automobiles, data showed Saturday. Outbound shipments totaled $52.6 billion, compared to $52.1 billion a year ago. According to Emirates News Agency, the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy highlighted that imports rose 0.2% year-on-year to $48.3 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.3 billion. The growth in exports came after a decrease in January, attributed to fewer business days. The ministry attributed the rise in exports to strong performances in the automobile and computer sectors, including solid-state drives (SSDs). Automobile exports increased by 17.8% year-on-year to $6.1 billion, ending a three-month decline, with hybrid car sales soaring 74.3% to $1.3 billion. Exports of computers, including SSDs, rose 28.5% to $800 million, marking the 14th consecutive month of year-on-year gains. Wireless communica tion equipment exports increased by 42.3% to $1.5 billion. Bio-health exports climbed 16.1% to $1.4 billion, with biopharmaceutical sales rising 45.5%. However, outbound shipments of chips decreased by 3% year-on-year to $9.6 billion due to a significant drop in memory chip prices. By destination, exports to China fell 1.4% to $9.5 billion due to sluggish chip sales, while exports to the United States increased by 1% to $9.9 billion.
