SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- South Korea logged a current account surplus for the 30th consecutive month due to a faster import fall than export and dividend income from overseas stock investment, central bank data showed Friday.
The current account balance, the broadest measure of cross-border trade, recorded a surplus of 6.81 billion U.S. dollars in October, staying in black since May 2023, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).
It was lower than a surplus of 13.47 billion dollars in the previous month amid the lower number of business days, affected by the Chuseok holiday, the South Korean version of Thanksgiving Day.
Trade surplus for goods came to 7.82 billion dollars in October, lower than 14.24 billion dollars in the prior month.
Export declined 4.7 percent from a year earlier to 55.88 billion dollars in October, while imports retreated 5 percent to 48.06 billion dollars.
Service account deficit hit 3.75 billion dollars in October, higher than a deficit of 3.32 billion dollars in September.
Overseas direct investment by domestic residents swelled by 1.88 billion dollars, while foreign direct investment in South Korea climbed by 150 million dollars. ■
