Exports decreased for the first 20 days of September because of the timing of the Chuseok holiday. 

According to preliminary data from the Korea Customs Service on Monday, the country’s outbound shipments came to 35-point-58 billion U.S. dollars during the cited period, down one-point-one percent from a year earlier.

Average daily exports, however, increased by 18 percent, with the number of working days decreasing by two-and-a half days from a year ago to 13 days.  

Shipments of the country’s most prominent export items decreased, with automobile exports down eight-point-eight percent and petroleum product exports down five percent.

However, exports of semiconductors jumped 26-point-two percent, while shipments of computer devices soared 75-point-six percent.

Exports to China grew two-point-seven percent, while exports to the United States decreased five-point-nine percent.

Imports dropped four-point-five percent year over year to 34-point-seven billion dollars during the period, resulting in a trade surplus of 799 million dollars.