SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports, which account for about half of the export-driven economy, turned downward in early September after rebounding in the previous month, customs data showed on Monday.
For the first 10 days of this month, exports reached 13.53 billion U.S. dollars, down 3.6 percent from the same period of last year, according to Korea Customs Service (KCS).
The overseas shipments grew 2.6 percent in August, rebounding in 20 months after keeping a downward trend from January 2015 through July this year.
The export slowdown in early September indicated a downturn this month again on worries that the court receivership filed by Hanjin Shipping, the country's largest container shipping line, may disrupt the transport of export items.
During the Sept. 1-10 period, shipments of auto parts and ships increased 8 percent and 19 percent each, but those for semiconductors, oil products and cars declined 5.2 percent, 5.7 percent and 30.8 percent respectively.
Exports of telecommunication devices, such as smartphones, tumbled 21.3 percent as Samsung Electronics decided on Sept. 2 to recall all of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones sold worldwide after reports that some of its batteries caught on fire while charging.
By country, exports to China's Hong Kong and Japan expanded 12.7 percent and 7.4 percent each, but those to China's mainland and the United States, South Korea's top two trading partners, slumped 9 percent and 13.4 percent respectively.
