South Korean trade appears to be increasingly dependent on China.
 
According to statistics from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Tuesday, exports to China accounted for 25-point-seven percent of South Korea's total exports between the first and third quarters of this year, up from 25 percent during the same period last year.
 
The combined volume of South Korean imports and exports with China surpassed the 23 percent mark for the first time at 23-point-two percent of a total of 727-point-six billion dollars. It was up one-point-eight percentage points from a year ago.
 
Experts say South Korea has deepened its trade dependence on China as exports to Japan have declined due to the weak Japanese yen while exports to Europe have suffered on the back of a financial crisis.
 
However, they say South Korea should reduce that dependency by pioneering new export markets as China's economic growth rate has been falling and as Beijing has been transforming its economic policy to center on domestic consumption.