The nation's exports for last December reached the highest monthly volume for that year, recovering to the monthly average from 2022.

According to the Korea Customs Service on Monday, outbound shipments in December jumped five percent year-on-year to 57-point-six billion U.S. dollars.

Shipments, which saw a nine-month streak of on-year decline through last September,  returned to a growing trend in October.

Exports of semiconductors and electronic appliances rose from the same period the previous year by 19-point-one and 20-point-two percent, respectively, while shipments of petroleum and steel products dropped three-point-nine and five-point-five percent, respectively.

Shipments to China fell three percent on-year to ten-point-nine billion dollars, while exports to the U.S. jumped 20-point-seven percent to eleven-point-three billion dollars.

Imports last month fell ten-point-eight percent on-year to 53-point-two billion dollars, with the trade balance staying in the black for the seventh consecutive month at four-point-five billion dollars.