SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export volume growth slowed sharply in July, indicating a red light coming on for the export-driven economy, central bank data showed Friday.
The export volume index stood at 139.42 in July, up 0.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
It marked the ninth consecutive month of increase, but it was sharply down from a 2.4 percent growth in June.
The growth pace continued to fall from 9.9 percent in February to 4.5 percent in April and 2.4 percent in June.
Export volumes for electrical and electronic devices gained 1.9 percent, but those for coal and oil products tumbled 12.7 percent.
The export value index advanced 9.1 percent in July from a year ago, but it was the lowest expansion since December last year.
The import volume index jumped 10 percent in the cited period on demand for semiconductor and display panel equipment. The index for coal and oil products plunged 14 percent, but the figure for transport equipment advanced 16.4 percent.
The import value index soared 16.8 percent in the same period.
