According to the data released by the Export and Import Division of South Korea's Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the country's trade balance indicated a $2.6 billion surplus in April this year, remaining in the black for the 15th consecutive month.
Despite unfavorable external factors including a weaker Japanese yen, a modest recovery in the world economy pushed the country's export value up for the second consecutive month. South Korea's export value rose by 0.4 percent year on year to $46.3 billion in April, while its overall import value declined 0.5 percent from a year earlier to $43.7 billion.
South Korea's export value for automobiles in April fell by 2.4 percent year on year to $4.1 billion. According to the ministry report, exports of ships and steel continued to decline in April. South Korea's export value for ships in the month in question declined by 44.8 percent to $2.65 billion, while the country's basic steel export value fell 13.6 percent to $2.7 billion, both compared to April 2012. On the other hand, South Korea's general machinery exports in April amounted to $4.2 billion, rising by 2.4 percent year on year.
According to ministry's report, although exports to the ASEAN region, China and the European Union posted positive growth, exports to Japan, the Middle East and Latin America saw declines.