South Korea Exports Gain as Annual Shipments Reach Record (1)

Gains in South Korea’s exports in December helped push the value of shipments to an annual record, as global demand held up through multiple waves of Covid infections.

Exports rose 18.3% from a year earlier, the trade ministry said Saturday, slowing from a 32% increase in November. Economists had expected a gain of 23.9%. Imports climbed 37.4%.

The value of exports reached $644.5 billion in 2021, surpassing a previous high of $605 billion in 2018, according to the trade ministry.

Korean manufacturers have been among the biggest beneficiaries of a pandemic-induced boom in tech spending, as intermittent lockdowns and restrictions ...