S. Korean IT trade surplus reaches US$6.24 bln in Nov.

SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade surplus in information technology
(IT) products amounted to US$6.24 billion in November as exports posted double
digit gains compared to the year before, a government report showed Thursday.
Exports of semiconductors, mobile phones and other IT products jumped 36.5
percent on-year to $11.73 billion last month, with imports gaining 17.7 percent
to $5.49 billion, according to the report by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.
Last month's exports represent the sixth straight month that exports have
exceeded the $10 billion mark. It is also the second month in a row that the
surplus surpassed $6 billion.
In the 11 months of this year, IT exports reached $109.71 billion, with imports
topping $56.34 billion for a combined surplus of a $6.24 billion.
According to the report, exports of semiconductors surged 80.2 percent annually
last month, thanks mainly to a rise in demand for DRAMs in smart phones and
Internet servers. Total exports topped $3.50 billion.
Outbound shipments of mobile phones also rose 2.9 percent to $2.47 billion with
sales of display panels reaching $2.49 billion for a gain of 34.9 percent
compared to November 2008.
China and Hong Kong were the biggest importers of Korean-made IT products last
month, buying more than $5.04 billion worth of goods, followed by the European
Union with $1.70 billion and the United States with $1.36 billion. Outbound
shipments to Japan stood at $640 million last month, according to the report.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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