South Korea's trade surplus in the cultural content industry posted an 18-month low amid prolonged diplomatic tensions with China over the deployment of the U.S. THAAD antimissile system. 
 
According to data by the Bank of Korea on Monday, the country's trade surplus in the audio, video and related industry came to 179-point-nine million dollars in the January-June period, the lowest half-year figure since the second half of 2015.
 
The figure also represents a decrease of 54 million dollars or 23 percent from the second half of last year, and a plunge of 100 million dollars from a year earlier.
 
The central bank projected in its April report that China's economic retaliation over the THAAD issue will pull down the country's economic growth by point-two percentage points and cause a reduction of about 25-thousnd jobs this year.