South Korea’s exports dropped 18.2 percent in the first 10 days of October from a year earlier, data from the Korea Customs Service showed Tuesday.
Total exports reached $9.47 billion from Oct. 1-10, down from $11.58 billion in the same period last year.
Exports of semiconductors fell 5.9 percent on-year and those of wireless devices plunged 31.2 percent. Shipments of cars and auto parts declined 51.9 percent and 20.3 percent, respectively.
The sharp drops were attributed to the ongoing partial strikes at major automakers and the recall crisis of Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Note 7.
The country’s exports rose 2.6 percent in August, breaking the record-long decline that started in January last year. The figure, however, returned to negative in September, recording a 5.9 percent fall.
