S. Korea's export prices fall 1.4 pct last month on strong won

SEOUL, April 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's export prices fell 1.4 percent in March from a month earlier due mainly to the strengthening won, central bank data showed Friday.

The dollar came to an average of 1,134.77 won in March, down 0.9 percent from a month earlier, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said in a statement.

For exporters, the won's gain means decreased income as dollar-denominated earnings from their overseas businesses fall in value when repatriated into the local currency.

Import prices also declined 2 percent last month from the previous month due to a fall in oil prices.

Year-on-year, however, export and import prices both jumped, the central bank said.

Export prices rose 4.9 percent in March from a year earlier, while import prices jumped 6.9 percent during the same period, the BOK said.

The price of Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark, dropped to an average of US$51.20 in March from $54.39 a month earlier, a central bank official said.

South Korea's exports came to US$48.9 billion in March, up 13.7 percent from $43 billion tallied a year earlier.

entropy@yna.co.kr
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