Exports by South Korean small and midsized enterprises (SMEs) rose more than 3 percent in June from a year earlier on higher overseas demand for autos and cosmetics, data showed Monday.
Local SMEs' overseas shipments came to US$9.77 billion last month, up 3.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Small Business Institute.
It marks the first on-year increase in four months. Their exports fell 9.1 percent on-year in March, 6 percent in April and 5.7 percent in May.
Auto exports spiked 171.5 percent in June from a year earlier, with those of cosmetics jumping 31.1 percent.
In June, South Korea's overall exports dropped 6 percent on-year to $54.24 billion on weak global demand for chips, falling for the ninth straight month.
The data also showed the combined SME workforce stood at 25.7 million as of end-June, up 219,000 from a year earlier.
In May, the number of newly established companies stood at 107,598, down 7.1 percent from a year earlier.
Source: Yonhap News Agency