South Korea's exports in May expanded more than eleven percent from the same period last year, continuing the on-year growth for eight straight months.

According to the trade ministry on Saturday, last month's exports stood at 58-point-15 billion U.S. dollars, up eleven-point-seven percent from May 2023.

Shipments increased for eleven out of 15 key export items, such as semiconductors, which jumped 54 percent on-year to reach eleven-point-38 billion dollars.

Trade with China rose to a 19-month high of eleven-point-38 billion dollars, helping the neighboring country reclaim the spot as South Korea's leading export destination from the U.S. Exports to the U.S. continued a ten-month streak of increase to stand at ten-point-93 billion dollars.

Imports, on the other hand, dropped two percent on-year to post 53-point-19 billion dollars, resulting in a trade balance of four-point-96 billion dollars, logging a surplus for 12 months in a row.