SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- South Korean exports posted a double-digit increase in the first 10 days of this year, indicating a recovery in the economy's main growth engine, customs data showed on Wednesday.
Overseas shipments amounted to 11.6 billion U.S. dollars during the Jan. 1-10 period, up 37.7 percent from the same period of last year, according to Statistics Korea.
The country's exports declined 5.9 percent in September and 3.2 percent in October each, before rebounding 2.5 percent in November and 6.4 percent in December respectively.
The export expansion in early January boosted optimism that the export-driven economy could recover by help of strong global demand for locally-made products.
Demand for oil products more than doubled in the cited period, with those for chips and steel products posting a double-digit expansion.
Shipments of telecommunication devices, including smartphones, retreated 25.8 percent, and those for ships shed 0.7 percent.
Exports to China, South Korea's largest trading partner, jumped 45.3 percent, with those to the United States and Japan rising 33.5 percent and 16.4 percent each. Those to Vietnam almost doubled in early January.
