Things are not looking so good for Korea's information and communications technology exports, which are vital for the Korean economy.
KIM Da-mi explains.
South Korea's ICT exports slipped once again in March,...mainly due to sluggish overseas sales of the country's main export items,... semiconductors, displays and mobile phones.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Monday, a total of 15.9 billion U.S. dollars of ICT products were exported last month,... down 16-point-three percent from a year earlier.
This marks the fifth month in a row that ICT exports have fallen.
The country's key export, semiconductors, declined by almost 17 percent on-year,... on the back of falling global prices and lower demand for system semiconductors.
Falling global prices also hit exports of displays, LCD panels and OLED panels.
In addition, the stagnant global smartphone market meant mobile phone and phone parts exports continued to fall.
Heated global competition, particularly from China, has also affected display and mobile phone exports.
By region, ICT exports to China, including Hong Kong, dropped around 22 percent,... with exports to Vietnam and the U.S. falling by 7 percent and around 5 percent respectively.
However, sales to the EU increased by 0.5 percent.
KIM Da-mi, Arirang News.
