SEOUL, June 30 (ABC): South Korea’s import value logged a double-digit growth last month due to expensive crude oil, central bank data showed Wednesday.
The import value index stood at 176.50 in May, up 32.0 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The index continued to rise for the 18th consecutive month, after gaining 19.3 percent in April.
In terms of value, mining products import surged 75.7 percent in May from a year ago on higher commodity prices.
Import value for coal and oil products advanced 40.6 percent, and those for chemical and primary metal products soared 37.1 percent and 42.1 percent respectively.
The import volume index came in at 128.08 in May, up 6.2 percent from the same month of last year.