4월 수출 24% 급감…무역수지 99개월만에 적자 전환<br /><br />Let's start with the grim new reality facing the traditional driver of the South Korean economy in this post-COVID-19 world.<br />South Korea's export figures for April took a hammering as a result of the pandemic and historically-low oil prices.<br />Kim Dami reports.<br />South Korea's exports sunk over 24 percent in April from a year earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<br />The trade ministry said on Friday that total outbound shipments last month amounted to around 37 billion U.S. dollars, a decrease of around a quarter from April last year.<br />Imports were also down almost 16 percent during the same period.<br />The country suffered a deficit of around 9-hundred fifty million dollars,... breaking its 98-month streak of having more exports than imports.<br />The trade ministry, however, noted that the country's manufacturing sector is operating normally, compared to other countries, adding that the trade deficit is just temporary.<br />By sector, shipments of automobiles and automobile parts fell over 36 percent and almost 50 percent respectively.<br />Due to low global demand, semiconductor exports dropped almost 15 percent, and smartphone exports fell almost 44 percent.<br />The ministry noted that the dramatic drop comes after national lockdowns and factory shutdowns in developed countries including Europe in mid-March.<br />Despite the bad export conditions, including falling global oil prices, exports of bio-tech products such as COVID-19 test kits went up 29 percent.<br />Computer shipments also jumped by almost 100 percent as people across the globe are working from home and taking online classes.<br />Vowing to closely monitor the country's trade trends,...Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom said on Friday that the government will prepare a new growth engine for life after the COVID-19 crisis and lead the way to the normalization of the global economy.<br />Kim Dami, Arirang News.<br />
