South Korean exports rose 30.9% in August from a year earlier, accelerating from 29.6% in July, thanks to strong demand for memory chips, petrochemicals and other major products, according to data released by South Korea's Ministry of Trade on Wednesday. but the increase was slightly lower than the 35.7% average expected by economists.

By category of export products, exports of semiconductors, petrochemical products and automobiles increased by 43%, 81.5% and 16.9%, respectively. The prices of wireless devices, biological health products and secondary batteries increased by 62.2%, 17.1% and 10.9%, respectively.

By export destination, exports to China increased by 26.8%, to the United States by 38.1%, and to the European Union by 41.6%.

South Korea's Ministry of Trade said: "despite concerns about production disruptions due to the recent spread of the Delta variant virus." But so far, its impact on exports appears to be limited. " "with the spread of the global Delta variant virus and the risk of delays in shipping, the Ministry of Trade will make every effort to maintain the export momentum in the second half of the year."