Seoul: The amount of container cargo processed at South Korean seaports reached a fresh high in 2024, data showed Thursday, on the back of robust shipments to the United States. The combined container cargo handled at the country's ports nationwide amounted to 31.73 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 5.3 percent from a year earlier.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the volume of container cargo handled for exports and imports increased 2.6 percent to 17.68 million TEUs. South Korea's handling of transshipment cargo, or cargo processed here en route to final destinations, also rose 9 percent over the period to 13.89 million TEUs.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries attributed the sharp growth to improved consumer sentiment in the United States, along with increased transshipment volumes from China.