SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export volume growth hit the highest in about five and a half years thanks to strong demand for semiconductors, central bank data showed Tuesday.
The export volume index stood at 162.7 in September, up 19.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). It was the fastest expansion since February 2012.
The fast increase was attributable to robust demand for locally-made semiconductors and chemical products.
In terms of volume, exports of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), flash memory chips and system chips surged 31.6 percent in September from a year ago.
The index for electrical and electronic devices jumped 16 percent, and the figure for chemical products advanced 23 percent.
Exports for transport equipment, general machinery and oil products also posted a double-digit increase.
The export value index came in at 143.37 in September, up 29.8 percent from a year earlier. It was the fastest growth in nearly seven years due partly to higher crude oil prices.
The import volume index soared 14.9 percent, with the import value index jumping 23.7 percent in the cited period.
