South Korea’s exports drop for 10th straight month

10/01/2019

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Kwanwoo Jun | Wall Street Journal

South Korea’s exports fell for the 10th consecutive month in September due to the continuing global trade tensions, though the pace of decline moderated slightly.

Exports fell 11.7% from a year earlier to $44.71 billion, a milder drop than the prior month’s revised 13.8% decline, according to preliminary data released by the trade ministry on Tuesday.

The latest reading missed a median market forecast for a 10.2% drop in exports.

Imports decreased 5.6% from a year earlier to $38.74 billion after a revised 4.2% drop in the previous month, with the trade surplus coming in at $5.97 billion. The median forecast was for a 4.2% fall in imports and $4.94 billion in trade surplus.

The trade-dependent Korean economy is feeling the pinch from the protracted U.S.-China trade dispute. The deepening Korea-Japan spat over Japan’s restrictions on exports of some key high-tech materials is also weighing on Korean memory-chip and display makers.

Write to Kwanwoo Jun at kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com