Exports rose nearly 20 percent on-year in the first 20 days of August.

According to preliminary data from the Korea Customs Service on Wednesday, the country’s outbound shipments reached 33-point-one billion U.S. dollars during the cited period, up 18-point-five percent from a year earlier.

Average daily exports also increased by 18-point-five percent, with the number of working days the same as last year at 14-and-a-half days.  

Exports of semiconductors and petroleum products jumped 42-point-five percent and eleven-point-seven percent, respectively, while shipments of automobiles increased nearly eight percent.

Exports to China and the United States grew 16-point-three percent and 18 percent, respectively, while shipments to Singapore decreased eight-point-five percent.

Imports rose ten-point-one percent on-year to 34-point-six billion dollars during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of one-point-five billion dollars.