The current account surplus from January through April eclipsed USD 100 billion. Shown is the container terminal at Gwangyang Port in Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do Province. (Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority)

By Aisylu Akhmetzianova

The current account surplus in April hit USD 28.29 billion, pushing the cumulative black figure for the first four months of the year to over USD 100 billion.

The Bank of Korea on June 5 released tentative data on the international balance of payments showing that the April surplus was the second highest on record, behind only USD 37.93 billion in March this year.

The cumulative black figure from January through April thus rose to USD 102.67 billion, a nearly 4.3-fold jump from USD 24 billion year on year.

Exports in April surged 54.5% year on year to USD 90.59 billion. By item based on customs clearance, semiconductors (171.4%), electrical and electronic products (127.6%), and information and communications equipment (123.2%) enjoyed triple-digit growth.

Decliners included home appliances (18.4%), automotive parts (8.5%) and passenger cars (7.2%).

By market, export growth was highest in Southeast Asia with 74.2%, followed by China with 62.6%, the U.S. 54% and Japan 28.4%. Imports increased 16.1% to USD 56.7 billion.

"The surplus in the first quarter (USD 74.4 billion) of the year was the second highest among major economies, behind only China," the central bank said in a statement. "The figure ranked fifth last year after China, Germany, Japan and Taiwan but that in the first quarter this year surpassed those of Japan, Taiwan and Germany."

aisylu@korea.kr