emirates7 - South Korea's exports saw a 1% increase in February compared to the same month last year, marking a recovery from a decline in January. This growth was driven by higher overseas sales of computers and automobiles, according to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy on Saturday.

Exports totaled $52.6 billion last month, up from $52.1 billion in February 2024. Imports also rose by 0.2% to $48.3 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.3 billion.

The rebound in exports came just a month after they fell in January due to a shorter number of business days. The ministry attributed the positive performance to the strong sales of automobiles and computers, including solid-state drives (SSDs).

Automobile exports surged 17.8% year-on-year to $6.1 billion, breaking a three-month decline. Notably, exports of hybrid cars rose 74.3% to $1.3 billion.

Computer exports, which include SSDs, jumped 28.5% to $800 million, marking the 14th consecutive month of growth. Wireless communication equipment exports saw a significant increase of 42.3%, reaching $1.5 billion.

Bio-health exports also grew by 16.1%, totaling $1.4 billion, with biopharmaceutical sales soaring 45.5%.

However, chip exports declined by 3% year-on-year to $9.6 billion due to a sharp in memory chip prices.

In terms of destinations, exports to China fell by 1.4% to $9.5 billion, mainly due to weaker chip sales, while exports to the United States rose by 1% to $9.9 billion.