South Korea's exports fell 15.2 percent on-year in the first 20 days of July amid the protracted slump in the chip sector, data showed Friday.
The country's outbound shipments reached US$31.2 billion in the July 1-20 period, compared with $36.8 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.
Imports fell 28 percent on-year to $32.6 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $1.36 billion.
In June, South Korea's outbound shipments fell 6 percent on-year to $54.24 billion. But the month posted the smallest on-year export decline so far this year, possibly indicating the country's exports may rebound in the second half of the year.
The country reported a trade surplus for the first time in 16 months in June.
South Korea announces its full monthly export report on the first day of each month.
Source: Yonhap News Agency