Current account balance, the broadest measure of cross-border trade, recorded a surplus of 3.05 billion U.S. dollars in January, staying in black since May last year, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
Trade surplus for goods stood at 4.24 billion dollars in January, hovering in black since April last year.
Export jumped 14.7 percent from a year earlier to 55.22 billion dollars in January, while import dwindled 8.1 percent to 50.98 billion dollars.
The outbound shipment kept an upward trend for the fourth consecutive month on solid demand for locally-made semiconductors and automobiles.
Services account deficit amounted to 2.66 billion dollars in January, slightly up from a deficit of 2.54 billion dollars in the previous month.
Primary income account, which includes monthly salary and investment income, registered a surplus of 1.62 billion dollars in January on higher overseas dividend income.
Financial account, which measures cross-border capital flow without transactions in goods and services, recorded a net outflow of 2.81 billion dollars in the cited month.
Overseas direct investment by domestic residents rose by 2.16 billion dollars, and foreign direct investment in South Korea increased by 220 million dollars.
For the portfolio investment, which includes stock and bond trading, overseas investment by local residents gained by 6.51 billion dollars, while foreign investment in local stocks and bonds expanded by 6.52 billion dollars.
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