SEOUL, July 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export fell in double digits in the first 20 days of this month amid the continued effect from the COVID-19 outbreak, customs office data showed Tuesday.
Outbound shipment reached 24.6 billion U.S. dollars in the July 1-20 period, down 12.8 percent from a year earlier, according to Korea Customs Service.
The daily average export declined 7.1 percent in the cited period as the COVID-19 pandemic weakened global trade.
Shipments for oil products and automobiles tumbled 41.6 percent and 14.0 percent each in the 20-day period, and semiconductor export shrank 1.7 percent.
Computer export surged 56.9 percent as people preferred working at home and attending online classes amid the lingering fear of the virus.
Exports to the Middle East, Japan, the European Union (EU) declined in double figures in the cited period, with the shipments to Vietnam, the United States and China retreated 9.9 percent, 2.4 percent and 0.8 percent each.
Import slipped 13.7 percent over the year to 24.8 billion dollars in the 20-day period, sending the trade deficit to 0.2 billion dollars. Enditem
