[Graphic News] S. Korean air exports soar amid pandemic

South Korea’s airfreight exports jumped to account for 36 percent of the country’s overall exports last year, industry data showed, on higher demand for chips and bio-health products.

Of the country’s combined exports of $512.5 billion in 2020, air transport accounted for $183 billion, according to the data compiled by the Korea International Trade Association.

While maritime transport still accounted for the majority of $325.8 billion, the portion of air cargo rose 5.4 percentage points on-year, while maritime shipping edged down 5.6 percentage points.

The association said the increase in the volume of air cargo came amid the growing global demand for high-value products such as memory chips, solid-state drives, bio-health goods and organic light-emitting diode displays. (Yonhap)