(KPL/Yonhap) Republic of Korea's exports increased from a year earlier in the first 10 days of this month on strong demand for shipbuilding and automobiles, data showed Tuesday.

Outbound shipments reached US$13.87 billion in the March 1-10 period, up 2.9 percent from $13.48 billion tallied over the same period last year, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.

Imports gained 7.3 percent on-year to $15.92 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $2 billion.

The daily average volume of exports increased 12.3 percent on-year over the cited period, according to the trade agency. The number of working days during this period stood at 5.5, compared with six days last year.

In February, the country's exports increased 1 percent from a year earlier, rebounding from a decrease the previous month.

By sector, exports of shipbuilding jumped 55.2 percent on-year to $1.2 billion in the first 10 days of March. Shipments of automobiles went up 6.2 percent.

Exports of semiconductors, the country's main export item, edged up 0.03 percent during the period, remaining nearly unchanged. The sector's share of total exports stood at 19.8 percent, down 0.6 percentage point from a year earlier.

In contrast, outbound shipments of petroleum products and automobile parts dropped 0.7 percent and 7.6 percent on-year, respectively.

By destination, exports to China, the top trading partner of Republic of Korea, slipped 6.6 percent to $2.7 billion, while shipments to the United States went up 5.5 percent on-year to $2.5 billion.

KPL