S. Korea's exports grow 19.5 pct in July

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports grew 19.5 percent in July from a year earlier, marking a double-digit increase for the seventh consecutive month, a government report showed Tuesday.

Exports, which account for about half of the economy, increased to 48.85 billion U.S. dollars in July from 40.9 billion dollars a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The exports posted a double-digit growth since January this year and maintained an upward momentum for nine straight months.

Imports jumped 14.5 percent over the year to 38.2 billion dollars in July, sending the trade surplus to 10.65 billion dollars. The trade balance stayed in black for 66 months in a row.