South Korea had a merchandise trade surplus of $8.49 billion in April, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on Friday.
That exceeded forecasts for a surplus of $7.15 billion, and it was up from $8.38 billion in March.
Exports were down 8.1 percent on year, missing forecasts for a contraction of 6.6 percent following the 4.3 percent decline in the previous month.
Imports tumbled an annual 17.8 percent versus expectations for a decline of 14.3 percent after dropping 15.3 percent a month earlier.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.