South Korea’s exports of industrial parts and materials sharply increased in the first quarter.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported on Wednesday that outbound shipments of industrial parts and materials jumped eleven percent on-year to 66 billion U.S. dollars in the January-March period.

It marked double-digit growth for the first time in five years and six months.

The growth was attributed to the fact that both prices and export volume increased for the first time since the fourth quarter in 2014.

Exports of chemicals soared 24-point-three percent on-year in the first quarter, while those of electronic parts and primary metal rose 19-point-seven percent and 12-point-eight percent, respectively.