S. Korea's exports drop 5.9 pct in Sept.

SEJONG, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's exports backtracked 5.9 percent from a year earlier in September due mainly to sluggish shipments of cars and mobile devices, the trade ministry said Saturday.

Outbound shipments came to US$40.9 billion last month, down from $43.4 billion the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The figure relapsed to negative terrain in just one month, following the turnaround in August that snapped a record 19 straight months of negative growth that began in January 2015.

Imports also posted negative growth last month, falling 2.3 percent on-year to $33.8 billion.

September's trade surplus came to $7.1 billion, marking the 56th consecutive month of a surplus.

brk@yna.co.kr
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