In September, Korea’s trade balance reveals a surplus of $3.7 billion. This is due to a year-long decline in exports since October of the previous year, along with a decrease in imports, resulting in a ‘recession-type surplus’. Exports in September were $54.66 billion, down 4.4% from the same period last year, while imports were $50.96 billion, marking a 16.5% decrease from the previous year. This surplus trend has been consistent for four consecutive months since June. However, exports are still following a ‘reverse growth trend’, showing lower performance compared to the previous year for the first time since October of last year.
