Export prices up for 10th straight month in September

SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's export prices gained for the 10th straight month in September, driven by price hikes of energy and chemical products, central bank data showed Thursday.

The country's export price index stood at 114.18 in September, up 1 percent from the previous month, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).

The figure represented the 10th straight month of an on-month rise. From a year earlier, the index jumped 20.2 percent, the eighth consecutive on-year growth, the data showed.

The rise stemmed mostly from hikes in coal, oil and chemical products, the central bank said.

South Korea's exports have been on a solid recovery track despite the global coronavirus pandemic. In September, outbound shipments surged 16.7 percent on-year to a record monthly high of US$55.6 billion.

Meanwhile, the country's import prices rose 2.4 percent on-month in September due to a hike in global oil. It marked five consecutive months of a rise.

The import index also jumped 26.8 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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