SEOUL, May 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports surged in double digits in the first 20 days of May due to soaring demand for locally-made semiconductors, customs office data showed Thursday.
Outbound shipments jumped 64.8 percent from a year earlier to 52.65 billion U.S. dollars in the May 1-20 period, according to the Korea Customs Service.
The daily average export spiked 52.6 percent to 3.9 billion dollars in the 20-day period.
Semiconductor exports skyrocketed 202.1 percent to 21.95 billion dollars, but automotive shipments sank 10.1 percent to 2.77 billion dollars.
Exports of oil products soared 46.3 percent due to expensive crude oil, driven by ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Computer shipments shot up 305.5 percent to 2.45 billion dollars, driven by solid demand for solid-state drives (SSDs) and fueled by expanded demand for AI infrastructure.
Those for steel products, ships and mobile devices posted a double-digit expansion.
Imports gained 29.3 percent from a year earlier to 41.62 billion dollars in the first 20 days of May, sending the trade surplus to 11.03 billion dollars.
Imports for semiconductor equipment surged in triple digits, while those for crude oil, chips, machinery, oil products, natural gas, cars, coal and mobile devices all logged a double-digit increase in the cited period. ■