Current account balance, the broadest measure of cross-border trade, recorded a surplus of 1.93 billion U.S. dollars in May after logging a deficit of 790 million dollars in the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
Trade surplus for goods came to 1.82 billion dollars in May, up from a surplus of 580 million dollars in April.
Exports declined 14.7 percent from a year earlier to 52.75 billion dollars in May, while imports dwindled 13.5 percent to 50.93 billion dollars.
Services account deficit stood at 910 million dollars in May, down from a deficit of 1.21 billion dollars in the previous month.
Primary income account, which includes monthly salary and investment income, registered a surplus of 1.42 billion dollars in May after posting a deficit of 90 million dollars in the prior month.
Financial account, which measures cross-border capital flow without transactions in goods and services, recorded a net outflow of 2.65 billion dollars in May.
Overseas direct investment by domestic residents rose by 3.17 billion dollars, and foreign direct investment in South Korea gained 1.07 billion dollars.
For the portfolio investment, which includes stock and bond trading, overseas investment by local residents climbed by 1.54 billion dollars, while foreign investment in local stocks and bonds jumped by 13.5 billion dollars.
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