4월 1~20일 수출 26.9%↓…일평균 16.8%↓ 반도체 14.9%↓

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South Korea's exports are in freefall due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has paralyzed world trade.
In the latest grim virus-related economic data to emerge, the country's exports in the first 20 days of April tumbled nearly 27 percent compared to the same period last year.
Kim Jae-hee reports.
South Korea's exports fell sharply from a year earlier in the first twenty days of April due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
According to data released by the Korea Customs Service on Tuesday,... the country's outbound shipments from April 1st to April 20th came to some 21-point-7 billion U.S. dollars,... down a whopping 26-point-9 percent from the same period a year earlier.
The daily average exports during this period also slipped 16-point-8 percent on-year.
The decline was attributed to the coronavirus pandemic,... which has paralyzed trade and disrupted production all across the globe,... with numerous countries having shut down their borders.
By segment, overseas sales of semiconductors, South Korea's key export item,... fell 14-point-9 percent on-year over the 20-day period.
Exports of automobiles also declined 28-point-5 percent from a year earlier.
Auto parts fared even worse,... sinking 49-point-8 percent,... and exports of petrochemical goods tumbled 53-point-5 percent.
By destination country, exports to China dropped 17 percent on-year,... and shipments to the U.S. also shrank 17-and-a-half percent.
Exports to Japan were down 20 percent,... and those to the EU were even worse,... down 32-point-6 percent on-year.
The same data also shows that in the first 20 days of April, imports fell 18-point-6 percent on-year to near 25-point-2 billion dollars.
Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News.