SEOUL, March 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports jumped 20.2 percent in February from a year earlier, keeping a double-digit growth for two months in a row, a government report showed on Wednesday.
The exports, which account for about half of the export-driven economy, were 43.2 billion U.S. dollars in February, up 20.2 percent compared with a year ago, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
It was the fastest increase in five years since February 2012. The shipments grew faster after rising 11.2 percent in January.
Daily average exports advanced 9.3 percent last month, marking the third consecutive month of expansion.
Imports surged 23.3 percent over the year to 36 billion dollars in February, sending the trade surplus to 7.2 billion dollars. The trade balance has stayed in the black for 61 straight months.
