The South Korean economy has become increasingly dependent on global trade... over the past few years.<br /> Data from the Bank of Korea show imports and exports last year were equivalent to 86-point-eight percent of the country's gross national income.<br />That's up two-point-eight percentage points from 2017,... and it's the highest level seen since 2014.<br />The ratio of trade to GNI had been falling since 2011,... from above one-hundred percent,... but both imports and exports began rising two years ago... and reached the highest level on record last year.<br />Officials attribute the upward trend to the surge last year in Korea's semiconductor exports... as well its growing imports of raw materials and intermediary goods. <br />
