Between the 1st and the 20th of this month, exports decreased by 2.2% compared to the same period last year. Exports to China fell by 5.9% compared to the same period last year, while exports to the United States decreased by 2.1%, indicating a general slump in exports to major countries.
According to the tariff office on the 21st, exports during this period totaled $36.1 billion, a decrease of 2.2% compared to $36.9 billion in the same period last year.
By item, exports of home appliances (-20.9%), petroleum products (-17.5%), steel products (-9.7%), and automobile parts (-8.4%) significantly decreased compared to the same period last year.
On the other hand, exports of semiconductors (16.5%), passenger cars (3.9%), and ships (172.2%) increased. In particular, semiconductor exports accounted for 21.9% of total exports, rising by 3.5 percentage points compared to the same period last year.
By country, exports to China (-5.9%) and the United States (-2.1%) decreased compared to the same period last year. In the same period, exports to the European Union (EU) (3.0%), Vietnam (1.1%), and Taiwan (29.9%) increased.
Imports from the 1st to the 20th decreased by 4.3% to $35.6 billion. Imports from the United States decreased by 28.4% compared to the same period last year, while imports from China also fell by 0.01%. Imports from the European Union (8.6%), Japan (0.9%), and Taiwan (0.5%) increased compared to the same period last year.