South Korea's July 1-20 exports down 13.6% year-on-year, led by chips

Imports during the 20-day period dropped 10.3% on year as purchases from Japan fell 14.5%, similar to a 13.9% loss for the June 1-20 period and showing little effect so far from Tokyo's curbs on exports of key materials for chip and display production

SEOUL: South Korea's exports for the first 20 days of this month fell a sharp 13.6% from a year earlier, customs data showed on Monday, led by poor semiconductor shipments and underscoring continued weakness in global demand.

Semiconductor products, which make up for about one-fifth of the country's total exports, suffered a 30.2% drop in overseas shipments, the Korea Customs Service data showed.

Imports during the 20-day period dropped 10.3% on year as purchases from Japan fell 14.5%, similar to a 13.9% loss for the June 1-20 period and showing little effect so far from Tokyo's curbs on exports of key materials for chip and display production.- Reuters