South Korea's exports took off in March as outbound shipments gradually improve.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, exports jumped 13-point-seven percent year-on-year to 48-point-nine billion dollars, the largest since the end of 2014.

March figures also mark five straight months of export growth, the first time since 2011.

Record amounts of semiconductors, organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) and cosmetics were shipped last month. 

By region, South Korean exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) and India both reached record highs of well over eight billion and one-point-three billion dollars respectively.

Shipments to the Middle East also shifted to positive growth.

Exports to China also continued to grow for the fifth month despite Beijing's retaliatory measures against Korea's THAAD missile defense deployment.

The nation's imports also rose 27 percent to 42-point-three billion dollars last month. This resulted in a trade surplus of six-point-six billion dollars, for a surplus streak of 62 consecutive months.