South Korea's exports rose 24.6 percent on-year in the first 10 days of May on robust global demand for semiconductors, data showed Wednesday.Outbound shipments reached US$18.58 billion in the April 1-10 period, compared with $14.91 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service.Per-day exports advanced 16.3 percent on-year to $2.48 billion.Imports added 11.3 percent on-year to $18.4 billion during the period, resulting in a trade surplus of $200 million.Exports, a key economic growth engine, have been recovering since late last year after a yearlong downturn.In August, exports rose 11.4 percent on-year to $57.9 billion, the 11th consecutive monthly gain, on the back of strong demand for semiconductors, government data showed.Shipping containers are stacked at a port in the southeastern city of Busan, in this file photo taken April 1, 2024. (Yonhap)Strong sales of semiconductors led the overall export growth.Chip exports jumped 38.8 percent to $3.47 billi on during the 10 days of this month.Semiconductor exports accounted for 18.7 percent of the country's total exports during the cited period, up 1.9 percentage points from a year earlier amid an industry cycle upturn.Auto exports advanced 12.8 percent to $1.58 billion, and sales of petroleum products gained 5.4 percent to $1.51 billion.Sales of steel products climbed 21 percent to $1.29 billion, and those of automotive parts increased 24.8 percent to $644 million.By nation, shipments to China added 16.3 percent to $3.95 billion, and exports to the United States surged 24.6 percent to $3.23 billion.Exports to the European Union jumped 47.4 percent to $2.1 billion, and those to Vietnam rose 13.3 percent to $1.67 billion.Shipments to Japan went up 12.2 percent to $829 million, and exports to Taiwan and Hong Kong rose 79.2 percent and 24.2 percent, respectively.The government expected exports to advance 9 percent this year to reach a record high of over $700 billion.Source: Yonhap News Agency