South Korea’s exports jumped 33.8 percent on-year in the first 10 days of July, data showed Thursday.

Outbound shipments reached US$17.75 billion in the July 1-10 period, compared with $13.26 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.

Imports grew 26.7 percent on-year to $19.7 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $2 billion.

In June, exports, a key growth engine, rose 5.1 percent on-year to $57 billion, the ninth straight monthly gain, as chip exports surged 50.9 percent to reach an all-time monthly high, according to government data.

Source: Yonhap News Agency