S. Korea's trade surplus hits record US$6 bln in April

By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, May 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade surplus reached a record US$6.0
billion in April mainly due to a sharp drop in imports and favorable exchange
rates, a government report showed Friday.

The country's exports reached $30.6 billion last month, falling 19.0 percent
on-year, with imports plummeting 35.6 percent to $24.6 billion, according to the
Ministry of Knowledge Economy.
The monthly surplus surpassed the previous record of just under $4.3 billion
tallied for March, and is much higher than the $3.8 billion reported for April
1998 when the country was struggling to cope with the Asian financial crisis by
cutting back on spending.
The ministry said ship sales and a weak Korean won continued to help exports.
Though total export volume fell on-year, exports rose by $2.6 billion from the
previous month, indicating gains are being made despite the global economic
slump, it added.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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