Export, which accounts for about half of the economy, reached 24.9 billion U.S. dollars in the August 1-20 period, down 13.3 percent from the same period of last year, according to Korea Customs Service.
Chip export tumbled 29.9 percent in the cited period, with shipment for oil products contracting 20.7 percent.
Auto parts shipment shed 1.6 percent in the 20-day period, but automobile export gained 8 percent.
Shipment for telecommunication devices such as smartphone jumped 57.5 percent in the period.
During the 20-day period, import was down 2.4 percent to 26.7 billion U.S. dollars, sending the trade balance to a deficit of 1.8 billion U.S. dollars.
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