Exports to China in the first five months of the year dropped 27-point-three percent on-year as the decline continues for the 12th straight month in May.

According to trade ministry data, shipments to China from January to May totaled 49-point-seven billion dollars, down from 68-point-four billion dollars a year ago.

The monthly export tally has been falling since June of last year, resulting in a trade deficit with China in every month since with the exception of last September.

Exports to China recorded nine-point-two billion dollars in January, falling below the ten billion-dollar mark for the first time in three years.

Data by the Korea International Trade Association showed that the proportion of shipments to China is constricting as exports fell from 25-point-three percent in 2021 to 19-point-five percent in the first three months of this year, a slump attributed to the impact of COVID-19 on China's domestic demand and its improving self-sufficiency in intermediate goods.

Exports to the United States, meanwhile, recorded a surplus of seven-point-two billion dollars in the first quarter.