SKorea exports down 0.9 pct in May

SEOUL (Xinhua) - South Korea's exports reduced last month after posting the country's second-biggest figure in the prior month, a government report showed Sunday.

Exports, which account for around half of the economy, decreased 0.9 percent from a year earlier to $47.88 billion in May, after expanding nine percent in the prior month, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The May figure was down from a $50.31 billion export in April, the largest except for the record high of $50.48 billion tallied in October 2013.

Imports increased 0.3 percent from a year earlier to $42.53 billion in May, sending the trade surplus to $5.35 billion.