S. Korea's trade volume tops US$800 bln

By Lee Joon-seung

SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade volume exceeded US$800 billion for the first time this year on the growing competitiveness of locally made products and increased demand for imports, the government said Tuesday.

The trade volume reached $804.55 billion as of November, up 16.9 percent from
last year, with exports and imports coming to $395.60 billion and $408.95 billion
each, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said.
"Given the January-November tally, South Korea is likely to remain the world's
11th-largest trading nation this year," the ministry said in a report released to
mark the 45th anniversary of Trade Day.
In 2007, the country's trade volume amounted to $728.3 billion, placing 11th in
the world and surpassing Hong Kong with $719.5 billion.
According to the report, South Korea's top five export items are ships,
petrochemicals, mobile communication equipment, autos and semiconductors.
Continued growth in key industries has made South Korea the largest builder of
ships in the world and the third- and fourth-largest producer of semiconductors
and electronics, respectively.
South Korea is the fifth-largest producer of autos and petrochemicals and comes
sixth in output of textiles and steel products.
The ministry predicted that at the current pace, the country's trade volume
should exceed the landmark $1 trillion level in 2010.