S Korean exports reach record in 2007

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SEOUL, Jan 2 (AFP): South Korea's exports rose 14.2 per cent from a year earlier to a record 371.8 billion dollars in 2007, a government report said today.
It was the fifth straight year that exports have grown by double digits, the ministry of commerce, industry and energy said.
The preliminary figures also showed that imports rose 15.3 per cent to 356.7 billion dollars on a customs-cleared basis, resulting in a trade surplus of 15.1 billion.
The trade surplus has stayed above 10 billion dollars since 2002. For December, exports rose 15.5 per cent year-on-year to 33.2 billion dollars while imports increased 24 per cent to 34.1 billion.
The ministry forecasts that two-way trade will surpass the 800 billion dollar mark this year, with exports rising 11.6 per cent on-year to 415 billion and imports gaining 12.7 per cent to 402 billion.