Exports rose by more than 28 percent on-year in the first ten days of May.

According to tentative data from the Korea Customs Service on Wednesday, the country’s outbound shipments stood at 16-point-one billion U.S. dollars in the cited period, up 28-point-seven percent from a year earlier.

Average daily exports rose by eight-point-nine percent, with the number of working days increasing by one from last year to come in at six-point-five days.

Shipments of semiconductors and petroleum products rose ten-point-eight percent and 256-point-three percent, respectively, while exports of autos and wireless communication devices slipped 20-point-six percent and 27-point-two percent each.

Exports to the United States and China increased 30-point-one percent and nine-point-six percent each, while outbound commodities to Hong Kong plunged 35-point-four percent.

Imports rose 34-point-seven percent on-year to 19-point-eight billion dollars during the cited period.

The trade deficit expanded to three-point-72 billion dollars from about two-point-21 billion dollars a year earlier.