Seoul: South Korea's exports increased by 52.3 percent from a year earlier in the first 20 days of July, data showed Tuesday. Outbound shipments reached US$54.9 billion in the July 1-20 period, compared with $36 billion tallied in the same period last year.

According to Yonhap News Agency, imports went up 20 percent on-year to $42.7 billion over the cited period. The increase in exports led to a trade surplus of $12.2 billion.