South Korea's exports reached a record high of 28.2 billion U.S. dollars in June with strong overseas demand for autos, semiconductors and ships, said a report by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy on Saturday.

June's exports was 19.2 percent higher than the same month last year and reflects the high level of international competitiveness of locally made products, despite unstable exchange rates and steep oil prices, the report said.

The imports in June was 25.9 billion U.S. dollars, up 22.1 percent from a year ago, with the country's trade surplus standing at 2.3 billion U.S. dollars, the report said.

According to the report, the exports from January to June this year accounts for 155.5 billion U.S. dollars, rising 13.9 percent from the same period last year, while the imports expanded by 19.3 percent to 148.3 billion U.S. dollars.

The trade surplus for the first half reached 7.2 billion U.S. dollars, a sharp drop from the 12.2 billion-U.S. dollars surplus for the first half of 2005, the report said.

Source: Xinhua