S. Korea's Exports Up 1.6% in December

South Korea's exports edged up 1.6% in the first 10 days of December as a sharp drop in outbound shipments of auto parts was offset by a rise in petrochemicals and semiconductors, customs data showed Monday. 
The country's exports totaled US$12.9 billion from Dec. 1-10, compared with $12.6 billion tallied over the same period last year, according to the Korea Customs Service, South Korea's News Agency (Yonhap) reported. 
Outbound shipments of auto parts fell 9.7% on-year, while exports of petrochemicals and semiconductors gained 19% and 5.9%, respectively. 
The data showed that imports fell 0.1% on-year to $12.1 billion over the 10-day period, resulting in a trade surplus of $720 million.