S. Korea\\\'s current account surplus narrows in January

SEOUL, Feb 27 (AFP): South Korea's current account surplus narrowed to an 11-month low in January, the central bank said on Thursday.

The surplus stood at $3.61 billion, down from $6.41 billion in December, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said.

The current account is the broadest measure of a country's trade both in goods and services. Exports were valued at $47.2 billion dollars in January, down four per cent from $49.2 billion in December.

January imports were marginally higher at $43.9 billion, for a trade surplus of $3.3 billion compared to $5.7 billion in December.

The service account, which includes expenditures on overseas trips, posted a shortfall of $0.59 billion last month, compared with a $0.44 billion surplus in December.