A stacks of shipping containers at a port in Busan, about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul on April 30. (Yonhap) A stacks of shipping containers at a port in Busan, about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul on April 30. (Yonhap)

South Korea’s exports plunged 23.8 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of this month, data showed Monday.

Outbound shipments reached $12.83 billion in the May 1-10 period, compared with $16.84 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.

Imports went down 15.9 percent on-year to $14.57 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $1.7 billion.

In April, exports gained 3.7 percent from a year earlier to stand at $58.2 billion, marking the third consecutive month of increase. (Yonhap)