Exports in November topped 50 billion dollars, raising the prospect that South Korea will hit the 600-billion-dollar mark in annual shipments for the first time ever this year.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Saturday that exports in November grew four-and-a-half percent year-on-year to 51-point-nine billion dollars.

It's the third highest monthly figure to date and the seventh straight month that exports have exceeded 50 billion dollars.

Imports rose eleven-point-four percent last month to record nearly 46-point-eight billion dollars.

The resulting trade surplus was five-point-one billion, continuing an 82-month consecutive surplus streak.

Exports from January to November jumped over six percent to a record 557 billion dollars.

The trade ministry attributed the growth in outbound shipments to the recovery in global manufacturing, continued GDP growth in the world's major economies and the rising prices of Korea's staple export items.