S. Korea's exports up 4.5 pct in Feb.

SEOUL, March 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's exports moved up 4.5 percent in February from a year earlier, marking the first rebound after falling for 14 consecutive months, data showed Sunday.

Outbound shipments came to US$41.2 billion last month, compared with $39.4 billion posted a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Imports moved up 1.4 percent on-year in February to $37.1 billion.

The country's trade surplus came to $4.1 billion in February, marking 97 straight months in which the country's exports have exceeded imports.

Exports moved up 12.4 percent in the first 20 days of February, led mostly by chips and auto parts.

The on-year gain in February slowed apparently due to the global spread of the new coronavirus, which hurt business sentiment.

colin@yna.co.kr
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