SEOUL, June 21 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export posted a double-digit fall for the first 20 days of June due to the continued downturn in business cycle of the global semiconductor industry, customs office data showed Friday.
Export, which accounts for about half of the economy, reached 27.2 billion U.S. dollars in the June 1-20 period, down 10 percent from the same period of last year, according to the Korea Customs Service.
The daily average export tumbled 16.2 percent to 1.96 billion dollars in the same period.
The country's export continued to diminish for six straight months to May. The continued reduction was attributed to the global chip industry's downturn and the global trade dispute, caused by the U.S. protectionist moves.
Chip export plunged 24.3 percent in the cited period, and oil product shipment dropped 22.4 percent on cheaper global crude oil.
Automobile export advanced 19.6 percent, and shipment of telecommunication devices, such as smartphone, gained 10.5 percent in the period.
Export to the United States and the European Union (EU) management to rise in the period, but shipment to China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, sank 20.9 percent. Those to Japan and Vietnam also shed in the cited period.
Import amounted to 27.9 billion dollars in the 20-day period, sending the trade deficit to 0.7 billion dollars. Enditem