Seoul: South Korea's exports expanded 14.9 percent from a year earlier in the first 20 days of this month, data showed Wednesday. Outbound shipments reached US$36.36 billion in the Jan. 1-20 period, compared with $31.63 billion tallied over the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.

According to Yonhap News Agency, imports increased 4.2 percent on-year to $36.98 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $600 million. In December, exports expanded 13.4 percent from a year earlier to $69.6 billion on strong demand for semiconductors, marking the 11th consecutive month of an on-year increase.

For 2025, outbound shipments reached an all-time high of $709.7 billion.