Exports rose by nearly 17 percent on-year in the first 20 days of April.

According to tentative data from the Korea Customs Service on Thursday, the country’s outbound shipments stood at 36-point-three billion U.S. dollars in the cited period, up 16-point-nine percent from a year earlier.

Average daily exports also rose by 16-point-nine percent, with the number of working days unchanged from last year at 15-point-five days.

Shipments of semiconductors and petroleum products rose 22-point-nine percent and 82 percent, respectively, while exports of autos and wireless communication devices dropped one percent and ten-point-seven percent each.

Exports to the United States and the European Union increased 29-point-one percent and 12-point-three percent each, while outbound commodities to Hong Kong plunged 32-point-three percent.

Imports rose 25-point-five percent on-year to 41-point-five billion dollars during the cited period.

The trade deficit expanded to nearly five-point-two billion dollars from about two billion dollars a year earlier.